Democratic Republic of the Congo–Tanzania relations

Democratic Republic of the Congo–Tanzania relations are the bilateral diplomatic relations between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. The two countries share a state border that is 479 km long.

History

In October 2016, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Joseph Kabila paid an official visit to Dar es Salaam, where he met with Tanzanian president John Magufuli. During the three-day visit, the two sides discussed increasing trade turnover, as more than 50% of goods from eastern DR Congo reach global markets through ports in Tanzania. In addition, a memorandum of understanding on the extraction of natural resources from Lake Tanganyika was signed.

In 2018, 84,088 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were living in Tanzania.

Trade

Trade volume between the two countries increased from 23.1 billion Tanzanian shillings in 2009 to 393.6 billion Tanzanian shillings in 2015. In February 2017, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania reached an agreement to construct a bridge over the border Luapula River, with the project cost estimated at US$85 million.. The new road across the Luapula will facilitate the transportation of goods between eastern DR Congo, Zambia, and Tanzanian ports.

In September 2018, food containers destined for the DR Congo accumulated at the Port of Dar es Salaam, hindering its operations. The crisis resulted from suspicions by Tanzanian authorities that exporters intended to sell part of the cargo on the domestic Tanzanian market in order to avoid import duties.

See also

• Foreign relations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Foreign relations of Tanzania
• Democratic Republic of the Congo–Tanzania border

References

Tanzania Democratic Republic of the Congo