Edgar Lungu served as Zambia's sixth president from 2015 to 2021
In the midst of a growing conflict between the family of former President Edgar Lungu and the authorities regarding the plans for his burial, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has abruptly ended the period of national mourning for him. It follows the last-minute cancellation of the return of Lungu's body from South Africa by his family on Wednesday, leaving the country uncertain about when and where the former leader will be buried.
In his address on Thursday evening, President Hakainde Hichilema announced an immediate end to the mourning period, saying the country needed to "resume normal life".
According to Hichilema, "the government has done everything possible to engage with the family of our deceased sixth president." Flags were lowered to half-staff and solemn music was played on radio stations during the national mourning period, which began on June 8 and continued until June 23. The meeting between government officials and Lungu's family to try to break the deadlock over his funeral program resulted in the extension. Burial arrangements had been finalised and his remains were due to be flown back home on Wednesday on a private charter plane.
Funeral row causes chaos for mourners of Zambia's ex-president
President Hichilema and senior officials had been prepared to receive the coffin with full military honours, and plans were set for the body to lie in state at Lungu's residence before a funeral this Sunday and burial the following day.
However, Lungu's family on Wednesday blocked the repatriation of Lungu's remains, saying the government had reneged on its agreement over the funeral plans.
The former president's family expressed the hope that the body would be returned to Zambia "someday" and buried there. The government expressed regret over the family's action and issued an apology to the South African government and military, who had prepared for the handover.
Hichilema stated, "It is unfortunate that their efforts were in vain." He added that Lungu, being a former president, "belongs to the nation of Zambia" and his body should therefore "be buried in Zambia with full honours, and not in any other nation".
Hichilema said his government had "reached a point where a clear decision has to be made," adding that the country "cannot afford a state of indefinite mourning".
The opposition Patriotic Front (PF), the party Lungu led until his death, has backed the family's position.
"The government has turned a solemn occasion into a political game," said PF acting president Given Lubinda. "We do not treat a former head of state in this manner." Civil society groups have called for an urgent resolution of the matter, with a section of religious leaders saying the stand-off was "hurting the dignity of our country".
"We appeal for humility, dialogue, and a resolution that honours the memory of the former president while keeping the nation united," said Emmanuel Chikoya, head of the Council of Churches in Zambia.
The government has called for calm and reaffirmed its willingness to continue dialogue with the family over the impasse.
Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died earlier this month in South Africa where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.
Lungu lost the 2021 election to Hichilema by a large margin after serving as president for six years. He stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray.
He had ambitions to vie for the presidency again but at the end of last year the Constitutional Court barred him from running, ruling that he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law.
Despite his disqualification from the presidential election, he remained hugely influential in Zambian politics and did not hold back in his criticism of his successor.
Additional reporting by Wycliffe Muia
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