Minister: Road damage has caused the reopening of the Congo-Zambia Copper corridor on Tuesday.

Zambia's Infrastructure Minister said on Monday that the main corridor for Democratic?Republic of Congo copper, cobalt?and?other mineral exports will?reopen? on Tuesday?after?road?damage halted?flows. Congo is Africa's biggest copper producer, and the second largest copper producer in the world by output. The world's largest cobalt supplier, it produces over 70% of the global cobalt production and exports the majority of the cobalt along with other important battery minerals. Heavy rains on Sunday washed away part of the road at Kasumbalesa - the main crossing for Congo metal shipments to?China and?the United States.

So far, no mining company has reported any delays in copper or cobalt shipment.

While the route is closed, the Minister said, both countries' freight operators can divert via the Mokambo border crossing in Mufulira or the Sakanya frontier near Ndola, an "alternative" that would be almost three times as long as the Kasumbalesa trip.

Social media footage?showed pedestrians and trucks stranded on the corridor.

CMOC, Glencore, Eurasian Resources 'Group, and Ivanhoe 'Mines Complex are all major mining companies in Congo. Reporting by Chris Mfula in Lusaka; Ange Adihe Kaongo in Kinshasa and Tom Daly, Liverpool; Writing by Maxwell Akalaare Adombila. Editing by Sharon Singleton.

(source: Reuters)