Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have accused the Zambian government of attempting to annex part of the territory belonging to DRC. Tensions brewed between Zambia and the DRC following skirmishes between the armed forces of the two countries at a border last week.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) disclosed the armies’ clashes on the border had resulted in further displacements, particularly in the Moba territory.
The incident is the first sign of cross-border tension between the DRC and Zambia since the meeting in October last year between the authorities of Tanganyika in DRC and Zambia to normalize the situation at the border.
Gilbert Kankonde, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior said tensions exist between Zambia and the DRC towards Mpweto where Zambians are showing signs of wanting to annex part of DRC territory.
This is according to Africa News Correspondent Gaël Mpoyo who reported that Congolese authorities suspect Zambia of wanting to annex a part of the territory belonging to DRC. He said these sentiments were shared during a Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President Félix Tshisekedi on Friday.
And National Deputy Jean Manda confirmed the presence of Zambian forces in Mulilo in Moba territory after his stay in the region.
“Tensions persist on the border from March 13th when Zambian forces occupied several villagers along Lake Tanganyika in Moba territory, this is the case of Villages of Kibanga, Libondwe and Kalibamba in the Molilo area located about 300 Kilometers east of the city of Moba. The Congolese military are entrenched in the Molilo Centre with Headquarters based in Moba Centre to control this part of the south eastern part of Moba,” Mpoya said.
He said Zambian forces are occupying villages in Mulilo from Moba territory on the border since the October meeting.
“Zambian soldiers are now occupying territories that they did not even occupy before like Kapingo, now they have come back in force and they have positioned war machines there.”
He said during the diplomatic sessions, authorities of the two countries have agreed to resolve this border dispute peacefully.
“It should be recalled that similar incidents have occurred in 1996, 2006 and December 2016 around a Congolese town easily accessible from Zambia while on the Congolese side the swamp makes it difficult to access. The tension is still very high,” he said.
Mpoya said the Congolese military is in position just waiting for orders.
“Moreover repeated invasions by Zambian forces have been reported in Old Tanganyika, two Congolese provinces bordering Zambia since the beginning of the year, after clashes between the naval forces of the two counties after fishermen using illegal nets. The situation is astonishing given that the two counties have normal diplomatic relations,” he said.
Kaunda and Mobutu caused this problem. We shall not allow it to continue anymore, we need our territory back. So that inclave is ours period, at Congolese soldiers are waiting for orders, get them and attack us, then you shall know why we are called special infantry force of Zambia army
Yes TGuys,
The Pedicle is rughtfully Zambians.
My Ushi in-laws live at Chembe, I know the area very well.
The western world need to be held accountable, and get Involved soon before we lose Innocent Lives.
“The Treaty of Versailles (signed in 1919) and the 1921 London Schedule of Payments required Germany to pay 132 billion gold marks (US$33 billion) in reparations to cover civilian damage caused during the war.”
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They can barely grow enough to feed themselves but they still want more land? I suppose its mineral wealth they are after.
Wrong representation of facts by the Congolese, it is in fact the Congolese army that crossed 12km into Zambia in Nsumbu raiding villages and savagely beating up Zambians.
Congolese are unruly chaps. If they continue, just send our military to beat the hell out of them
Zambian presidents don’t know how to use soft power, that territory and much of Katanga would have been ours a long time ago.
We do not have the capacity to fight a war with DRC, KAIZER AND CO have stolen all the money.
@7 Dokowe,Please kindly explain how GRZ should have used soft power to annex Katanga to Zambia,bearing in mind Katanga’s mineral wealth and the interest it ignites in global mining houses!!
That part is clearly Zambian and we shall fight tooth and nail to get it back. We dont care what agreements were made to give away that land to Congo. Its ours and we need it back. Time has come now.
From the history of boarders between the British and Belgium, that land rightfully belongs to zambia. Zambians don’t be cowards. This matter was resolved by kk and Mobutu and the annexure is something that was just postponed.
Let’s deal with DRC in a diplomatic way snd and at international stage. This is not a political party where you send cadres yo storm.
We need the international community to come in and solve this problem if the two governments are failing.
War between DRC and Zambia will be very catastrophic, it will be one sided and Zambians will be the most victims here. Can a Zambian soldier enter the jungles of the ituri forests. Banyamulenges and Janja weeds will simply overrun our army and get more territories on their side and become part of Kinshasa administration.
Let’s avoid quenching the fire and engage in dialogue with them on international platform.
Fake news sponsored by that childish evil sadistic opposition party to try and create confusion. Why would this be an issue after decades. Think about it. We are close to election and the childish bally is desperate because he has made many promises to his gay funders. Kz
Lets take them on after all they barely have proper meals! Masoja ba njala ba kaboke!
As long as normal diplomatic relations exist between the two countries, this despute should be resolved diplomatically. If they don’t sit down and talk to reach an agreement quickly, those trigger happy soldiers on both sides might escalate the spark into a glowing fire.
This is misleading, that’s not where the tension is, that kapiece is the Pedicle Road and it’s as the boarder is.. The problem is up north in Chienge District. I hope now this Chongolese will be out forever.. I have very much in this GRZ they’ll remove them… the piece they have encroached has very rich copper deposits!!!
War is inevitable considering PF have no brains to cope with a situation like this diplomatically. Just last week one of their moronic ministers said there was no tension between the two countries. Now we hear Congolese soldiers are just waiting for orders to attack. That pedicle territory belongs to Zambia and should be annexed. In fact Katanga province should have been part of Zambia.
The Europeans were very greedy when partitioning Africa at the Congo Conference of November 1884 to February 1885. They never even bothered to consult our ancestors, and now us the descendants are struggling to work together in peace. Our two sister states should resolve this matter amicably taking in to consideration the history involving the interactions of the local communities in the disputed area.
The way that map of Zambia and DRC looks is laughable and mistakes were made by Colonial masters and founding fathers.
Only way if legally possible is to reopen negotiations or strike a peace deal of some kind.
We should not be emotional about it because these are legacies of colonial masters are now sitting comfortably in Europe. Lets not fight with our brothers but sit down and discuss. We need leadership on both sides.
Guys ..the article is talking about an area up North likely between Puta and Lake Tanganika, It is not the Pedicle strip. I guess from the presentation of the DRC, the area in question belongs to Zambia as they have said they access it through Zambia. DRC has vast land and one wonders why they want even that land which belongs to Zambia. They are so selfish indeed. Nevertheless, let this skirmish be sorted out amicably as there is no winner in war. Each party comes out scratched.
Meanwhile PF keep denying that there is tension …they can not do anything right everything is deceitfulness
The Bible Society of Zambia has been exporting copies of the Christian holy book in the Lala language to the area of Congo marked on the map. That’s wht European colonialism did to Africa. Borders were just drawn without any thinking about African interests. History of colonization and decolonisation has been interesting me lately. I hv even found a whole learned periodical THE JOURNAL OF POST-COLONIAL STUDIES. If only it could be available to all and sundry.
Congolese soldiers and their bandits have been terrorising Zambians for a long time. Let us just square off. It is time we got our land back. Please let us all mobilize and get ready for any eventuality. We have tolerated enough of their nonsense.
@maj juku 1, don’t bring KK into the mess of the scramble for Africa. At independence Zambia was already in this shape
The strange shape of Zambia was the result of the 1884 Curving up of Africa at the Berlin Conference. Queen Victoria, who a niece to King Leopold of Belgium, gave that piece of land to his Uncle because Leopold wanted to have a little bit more of the copper resources.
These people paid no attention to historical or cultural realities that existed in Africa long before they showed up on the continent. To them, all that mattered was natural resources/minerals. And the pedical is one of the messes they left behind for Africans to deal with. KK or the founding fathers/mothers had nothing to do with that mess. In fact, Kaunda tried to resolve the problem with Mobutu.
Honestly, LT – do you even bother to read the articles you post? Why put a big map of the pedicle when that is not where the problems are. Read your own story, the places you mention are up north… and yet because you post a map of the pedicle, some happy campers here are jumping up down lecturing about the pedicle and ready to go to war. Journalists should inform. Not misinform. Imagine.
It’s probably because the piece in red should be more of a thorn in the flesh of any patriotic Zambian
Just grab it, it’s in our territory full stop.
Always wondered about that pedicle cutting into Zambia like that. Makes no sense. It’s our land. I remember when we went for National Service in Mansa, we had to be taken over that pedicle, one minute we were in Zambia then the next we had to cross Congo before landing in Mansa back in Zambia. A bit daft it was. We actual stopped in some bush and got out for lunch (we got given tinned beans without tin openers). To this day I can open a tin with a dinner knife, one lifelong skill, I guess!
If they had made this fuss on the return journey after our military training, we would have jumped out of our military trucks and given them a good frugging! We were young and full of energy, I expect our young military chaps can cut their teeth practicing war games with those mad Congolese…
We want that matter settled if it’s true. There’s probably a Cobalt deposit……
Nobody wants Katanga especially that it’s full of thieves and most thieving tribes in Zambia hail from there!
All the Katangese in that territory must first be driven out because we don’t want them here. If we incorporate them, it will be like injecting oneself with COVID 19, who wants that, we have enough of their gutless thieving relatives here!
There are confirmed Gold deposits in Zambia now. Watch the destabilization and the looting escalate. This is a template we must know is THERE. Please be alert! Stay peaceful and exploit this newly found wealth. PLEASE. Push back on the root causing this fomenting of strife. That is what they do wherever wealth is discovered on the continent that they have no control over yet.
Pf have bankrupt zambia and now we want a war, shame on us zambians, shame shame. You are suffering because of Pf but we are to stupid to see the problem…. So lets go to war, we can’t even fix a police car yet you want war
Intellectuals the editor has succeeded in confusing u,pedicle is between chembe dist in luapula & Mukambo in mufurila &isn’t any near to lk Tanganyika.Names mentioned too are near lk Mweru chiengi dist.
Ba editor need to be serious with yr reports to avoid misleading the masses.
There is too many Congolese in Zambia also, so let’s just merge. Some of them dont even remember when their grannies arrived here.