Vice-President Guy Scott has said Zambia will not be affected by the raging war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Vice-President Scott said this in Parliament when responding to a question that sought to assure the country that the people living in the border areas are safe.
He said the war in the north east of DRC bordering Uganda and Rwanda would not affect Zambia. Vice-President Scott said despite Zambia sharing a 2000 kilometre border with DRC, he did not expect that Zambians living on the border will be affected by the war.
About 500,000 people have been displaced by the rebellion since April in DRC.
A UN report has accused Rwanda and Uganda of backing the M23 rebel group whi recently took over the city of Goma. Both countries strongly deny the accusations.
The M23 rebels have rejected a call by regional leaders to withdraw from the main eastern city of Goma. Their gains have raised fears of renewed war in DR Congo, where some five million people died in a conflict from 1997-2003.
The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution condemning the rebel seizure of Goma and calling for sanctions against M23 leaders. The group was formed in April after a mutiny in the army. The rebels said they were not given army posts promised in a 2009 peace deal.