Zambia presidential conflict, which could not die until the end

The character has become very political in Zambia.

Mourning and accumulation to the funeral is never an easy time, but it was thrown into the repercussions of long-term hostility among the country’s leading politicians-President Hakinde Hishilima and his predecessor, who was now Edgar Longo-Slack, an explosive mix.

The hostility was that the Lungu family said that one of his desires that die is that Hichilema should not go anywhere near his body.

The ranks that the government plans to honor the former head of state, create a sad dispute in the country and let people wonder how things became bad.

On Sunday, he was supposed to see the state’s funeral for the 68-year-old player who rules for six years in 2015. But there will be no visiting personalities and the place-a huge conference center in the heart of the capital, Lusaka-Vargha.

There was already a hint of possible trouble in the future immediately after Longjo’s death on June 5, in A video message shared by his daughter On Facebook.

Tasila Longo, who was wearing a thick black jacket and slaughtering tears, said her father died in a hospital in South Africa where he was treated with “dignity and privacy.”

She made a single minute advertisement saying that “at this moment of sadness, we call for the spirit of” Zambia, one nation “-the immortal doctrine that directed President Longo’s service to our country.”

To highlight the need for loneliness while the tradition suggested that the nation should gather naturally it was the idea that everything was not good.

There was another case: Where was the president’s announcement?

Mrs. Longo’s statement confirmed rumors on social media about the death of her father, and letters of her condolences were already sent, including from the President of Kenya, but there was no word from Hichilema.

While independent outlets were to report the news, the national broadcaster, Znbc remained silent.

Then, three hours after the daughter’s publication, The head of the state of Zambia shared his ideas In a text on Facebook. He presented his own attractiveness to the unit, and asked people to “support the values ​​of peace, dignity and teamwork that determines us as the Zambians.”

The Minister of Information Cornellius Motooa refused to concern about the delay in Hashilima, talking about death. He told the BBC that, based on a precedent, the head of state was not the first to announce the death of a predecessor.

However, Lungu supporters felt that Hichilema’s message about “group work”.

Hichilema finally became president in his sixth attempt after beating LunGu in the polls in 2021. The third electoral match was, but the enmity exceeded the competition of the ballot box.

The key to understanding this was more than 100 days when Heshylima, the opposition leader at the time, spent in detention in 2017, pending the charges of treason.

He was accused of exposing President Linju at the time after his motorcade refused to give way to those who transfer the head of state.

The charges were only dropped after the Secretary -General of the Commonwealth.

Later that year, BBC It has been reserved in solitary confinement for the first eight days in the humiliating and unreasonable circumstances “without electricity, without water, without a toilet.” He blamed Longo personally for his imprisonment.

This was only one of 17 occasions. Hichilema was arrested. Supporters of his United National Development Perside by supporters of the Governing National Front (PF).

2021 elections can have drawn a line under things.

Lungu, who was rejected with a margin of nearly one million votes by voters, tired of the allegations of corruption and concerns about anti -democracy behavior, went to political retirement.

But as disappointment grew with the presidency of Hichilema due to the continuation of economic difficulties, Lungu felt an opportunity and announced in October 2023 that he was returning to the front of the front lines.

Shortly after that announcement, Lungu was stripped of his benefits and privileges by the state as he returned to the active policy.

This decision was occupied with the former president and his family.

Lungu also complained about the police harassment. At one point last year, he said he was “caught at home.”

In 2023, the police warned him of running in public places, and described his weekly training as “political activity”.

“I cannot get out of my house without challenging and challenging the police and returning to me home,” Longo told the BBC in May 2024.

In that interviewHe also claimed that he was prevented from attending a conference abroad and from traveling abroad to receive medical treatment.

The Minister of Information strongly denied that there is a travel ban at all and described the idea that his movement was restricted in Zambia as “a fantasy and formula for the imagination of the politically charged mentality.”

MWEETWA added that although Hichilema was treated when he was opposed, he was determined not to do the same with Lungu.

There are also accusations that the Crusade to combat corruption of the president targeted those who approach the former PF ruler, including the LunGu family.

His widow, which is still stuffed, was transferred to the court and lost real estate. Some of his children, including Tasila, faced a similar treatment – they all deny that any violations are committed.

Then at the end of last year, the Constitutional Court prevented him from running for the presidency again, and he ruled that he had already served the maximum period allowed under the law.

The former head of state was angry at the way he felt was treated.

“There was no love between the two men and (LunGu) believed that:” I do not want people to pretend in my death that they care about me when it is not. “

Lungu finally managed to reach South Africa in January, but Mr. Zolo said that his doctors told him, after a series of tests, that he had gone to a examination earlier, that treatment could have had a greater chance of success.

What was suffering from him was not revealed.

In part, in light of this, Longo said that “he does not want the current president to attend his funeral.”

The government rejected the idea that Lungu was prevented from going to see its doctors in South Africa.

After his death, the family wanted to be responsible for the funeral arrangements, but the Zambian authorities sought to control.

Despite bad luck, it seemed at the end of last week that a compromise had been reached and plans for the state funeral.

But the relations collapsed again, as the family said that the government had been consulted by the agreement after the issuance of a program that explains more participation by Hichilema more than it was planned.

In a message on ThursdayThe Zambian President thanked the “flexibility, patience, solidarity and calm during this time”, but after doing “everything possible to involve the family … we have reached a point where a clear decision must be made.”

However, the funeral arrangements were suspended in Zambia and the national mourning period was suddenly reduced.

The burial is now scheduled in South Africa and it seems that it is unlikely to attend Hichilema.

The Zambians were hoping that both Hichilema and Lunugu would bury their differences, but this death and events that followed, deprived people of the closure and reconciliation that they wanted to see between the two.

These differences have also deprived millions of Zambians of the opportunity to mourning and push their recent respect for a man who once governed them.