Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The president of Zambia, Hakande Hichilema, suddenly ended the national period of mourning of former president Edgar Lungu in an escalation between the family and the authorities about his burial plans.
Wednesday, he followed the cancellation of the last minute of the return of the body of Lungu from South Africa by his family, leaving the country uncertain on the moment when and the former chief is buried.
In his speech on Thursday evening, President Hakande Hichilema announced an immediate end to the period of mourning, saying that the country had to “resume normal life”.
“The government has done everything possible to engage with the family of our sixth deceased president,” said Hichilema.
The national mourning period initially took place from June 8 to 14, but was then extended until June 23, with flags flying in half-masters and radio stations playing solemn music.
The extension follows a meeting between government representatives and Lungu’s family in order to resolve the blocking of its funeral program.
Burial arrangements had been finalized And his remains had to go home on Wednesday on a private charter plane.
President Hichilema and senior officials had been ready to receive the coffin with complete military honors, and plans were placed so that the body is in the state at the residence of Lungu before the funeral this Sunday and the burial the next day.
However, Lungu’s family blocked the repatriation of Lungu’s remains on Wednesday, saying that the government had denied its agreement on the funeral level.
The family said he hoped that the former president’s body would be repatriated “one day” and buried in Zambia.
The government has expressed its regrets with regard to family action and apologized to the South African government and the military, who had prepared for transfer.
“It is regrettable that their efforts are in vain,” said Hichilema.
He added that Lungu, being a former president, “belongs to the nation of Zambia” and his body should therefore “be buried in Zambia with honors, and not in any other nation”.
Hichilema said that his government had “reached a point where a clear decision should be made”, adding that the country “could not afford an indefinite state of mourning”.
The opposition patriotic front (PF), the party that Lungu led until his death, argued the position of the family.
“The government has transformed a solemn opportunity into a political game,” said the acting president of the PF with Lubinda. “This is not how we are dealing with a former head of state.”
Civil society groups have called for an urgent resolution of the question, with a section of religious leaders saying that confrontation “harmed the dignity of our country”.
“We call on humility, dialogue and resolution that honors the memory of the former president while keeping the United Nation,” said Emmanuel Chikoya, chief of the churches in Zambia.
The government called for calm and reaffirmed its desire to continue dialogue with the family on the dead end.
LUNGU, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died earlier this month in South Africa where he received treatment for an undisclosed disease.
After six years as head of state, Lungu lost the elections in 2021 to Hichilema by a large margin. He pulled out of politics but later returned to the fray.
He had ambitions to dispute again the presidency, but at the end of last year, the Constitutional Court prevented him from running, judging that he had already served the two maximum conditions authorized by law.
Despite his disqualification of the presidential election, he remained extremely influential in Zambian politics and did not retain his criticisms towards his successor.
Additional report by Wycliffe Muia
