Mbanza Congo - The National Council of the Angolan Land Transport Agency (ANATTA) chairman, Hélio Costa, said Monday in Mbanza Congo, Zaire province, that Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are close to achieving an agreement on the harmonization of customs fees applied to truck drivers traveling in both countries.
Speaking to the press, to react to the announced stoppage in the circulation of trucks transporting various goods on the Luanda/Cabinda route and vice versa, in protest against the high taxes charged by the neighboring country, Hélio Costa assured that an agreement can be reached soon.
The announcement of the indefinite stoppage was made last Saturday, also in Mbanza Congo, by the president of the Association of Road Transport of Goods of Angola (ATROMA), António Gavião Neto.
Meanwhile, ATROMA decided this Monday to temporarily lift the aforementioned strike, after guarantees from the Government of the province of Zaire and officials from the Ministry of Transport promising to resolve the dispute with the Congolese side.
Speaking to the press, the president of the Association of Road Transport of Goods of Angola (ATROMA), António Gavião Neto, promised that the survey will be observed until next Thursday, and the strike should be resumed if there is no consensual agreement.
The interruption in the activities of truck drivers traveling on the Luanda/Cabinda route, passing through the province of Zaire and the territory of the DRC, aimed to persuade the authorities of the neighboring country about the need to resolve this abysmal difference in fees charged on both sides of the common border.
Currently, according to the head of ATROMA, the DRC customs authorities charge four thousand US dollars to Angolan truck drivers who transit through their territory, compared to the 50 dollars charged in Angola to Congolese truck drivers.
ATROMA has existed in the country for 20 years and currently controls 50 members and a fleet of five thousand goods transport vehicles. The association's objective is to defend the rights of national truck drivers. DA/PMV/AC/DOJ
