Zambia mourns former president Edgar Lungu

Zambia is mourning the death of former President Edgar Lungu, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 68.

According to local media and his Patriotic Front party, Lungu collapsed while exercising at home in Lusaka and was pronounced dead at the Maina Soko military hospital. The government has confirmed the news and declared a period of national mourning.

Lungu served as Zambia’s sixth president from 2015 to 2021, a period marked by major infrastructure projects but also rising debt and economic challenges. He lost re-election to Hakainde Hichilema in 2021 and had kept a relatively low profile until recently, when he re-entered political life as an opposition figure.

Tributes are pouring in across Zambia and the wider African continent. President Hichilema described Lungu’s death as a tragic loss for the nation.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.