Rail traffic between Ilebo (Kasaï Central) and Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga) has been suspended since early October due to major erosion damage near the town of Kamupongo. The suspension has severed a key rail corridor linking central and southern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), disrupting both freight and passenger traffic.

The construction firm Safrimex began erosion-control works on Oct. 6, 2025, to stabilize the soil and repair the damaged section. Work is still underway, according to Emmanuel Kalonji, head of the North Region Department at the state-owned National Railway Company of Congo (SNCC), who did not specify when repairs would be completed.

The disruption between Kamupongo and Kalumba has had serious economic and social impacts. The railway is the main means of transport for residents and for shipping essential petroleum, agricultural, and manufactured goods.

SNCC’s North Region Department reported that no freight or mail trains operated on the Ilebo-Kananga and Kananga-Lubumbashi lines throughout October. Five kerosene tankers belonging to SEP-Congo remain stranded at SNCC facilities in Kananga, disrupting fuel supplies in the region. Technicians first flagged the deterioration of the section in April, noting that erosion had already caused major subsidence along the track, making it unsafe for trains to run.

Ronsard Luabeya