Zambia declares national mourning for ex-president Edgar Lungu

Zambia on Saturday declared seven days of national mourning in honour of the country's former president Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa on Thursday, the government said.

Lungu, who died at the age of 68, ruled the large but sparsely populated southern African nation from January 2015 until August 2021, when he lost to current President Hakainde Hichilema.

"The government of the Republic of Zambia wishes to inform the nation that President Hakainde Hichilema has accorded a state funeral to the sixth president, Edgar Lungu, who died on 5 June," said the secretary to the cabinet, Patrick Kangwa.

The government announced that all flags would fly at half-mast from June 8 to 14 and that entertainment events would be suspended during that time.

Kangwa said that the body of Lungu would arrive in Zambia next Wednesday and that Belvedere Lodge in the capital, Lusaka, had been designated as the official place of mourning.

Lungu was receiving specialised medical treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, South Africa, his political party the Patriotic Front (PF), said.

He was suffering from recurring achalasia, a condition caused by narrowing of the oesophagus.