All articles tagged with #zambia
Zambian opposition leader Brian Mundubile has been charged with treason along with 17 others after a disputed election, with authorities alleging an armed insurgency plan. Mundubile was arrested following a crackdown that included a Lusaka raid that killed a former cabinet minister; his NRPUP denies the claim as Hakainde Hichilema won about 60% of the vote to Mundubile's 38%.
Former Zambian minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was fatally wounded during a security operation at a house linked to opposition leader Brian Mundubile in Lusaka, with 11 people arrested. Mundubile denies involvement and has gone into hiding as President Hakainde Hichilema is re-elected with about 60% of the vote; Mundubile plans to challenge the results amid observer concerns about the electoral process.
A post-election security operation at opposition leader Brian Mundubile’s home in Zambia killed former cabinet minister Mutotwe Kafwaya and left 11 people detained as authorities say they were dismantling a suspected militia; Mundubile said Kafwaya was shot while the raid occurred, with the government framing the operation as protecting state security. The August 13 election gave President Hakainde Hichilema about 60% amid opposition claims of irregularities and intimidation, and a legal challenge is anticipated; UN urged respect for due process amid rising tensions.
Official results show President Hakainde Hichilema re-elected to a second five-year term with about 61.4% of the vote to challenger Brian Mundubile's 38%, according to the election commission. The victory cements his incumbency amid reports of violence and contested ballot forms, though international observers said the vote was largely peaceful and freedoms were constrained. Around 5 million voters cast ballots; supporters celebrated in Lusaka while Mundubile called for an independent investigation.
As Zambians vote, President Hichilema seeks a second term amid the lingering feud with late former president Edgar Lungu, whose death in 2025 and burial dispute loom over campaigns; the race features tensions over alleged repression, police disruptions of opposition events, and debates about living costs versus gains from a stabilizing economy and copper-driven growth.
Three brothers in Zambia's Copperbelt, ages 17, 15 and 12, are fending for themselves after their HIV-positive parents died this year as aid cuts shuttered the clinics that kept them on meds; they sell belongings, live in a leaky home, and Joseph works as a part-time security guard to pay rent and cover schooling while trying to keep his brothers on treatment, aided only by a pastor and distant relatives as the broader HIV-care network wanes.
Chef Sungani Phiri is redefining Zambian fine dining with Sungani Restaurant, a home-based 14– to 16-course tasting menu in Livingstone built entirely from indigenous ingredients sourced within 100km; the intimate 22‑seat veranda experience blends memory with modern technique and also trains young Zambian chefs, costing about $215 per person.
A rights summit in Zambia was canceled after Chinese pressure to exclude Taiwanese activists, underscoring Beijing’s ability to influence international forums and heightening cross-strait tensions.
Zambia canceled RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka just days before its May start, saying it needed time to ensure the event aligns with national values, policy priorities, and public interest. The move, described by activists as censorship, comes amid concerns of political pressure and transnational repression, with more than 2,600 delegates expected and many having already traveled and paid for arrangements to discuss digital rights, online hate, surveillance, and internet governance.
RightsCon, the world’s largest digital rights conference, was canceled in Lusaka after Chinese authorities allegedly pressured Zambia to exclude Taiwanese participants from in-person and online participation, leading to postponement and signaling Beijing’s reach into global digital rights discourse. Access Now said it received informal briefings from multiple sources about China’s influence shaping the conference, which was set to address China’s digital authoritarianism and cyber activities, with UNESCO events nearby also affected.
RightsCon, the global conference on human rights and technology, was canceled in Lusaka just days before it was to start after the Zambian government demanded full alignment with national values and public-interest considerations, prompting organizers to advise registered participants not to travel. The decision comes amid Zambia’s tightened digital laws and ahead of an August election, drawing criticism from digital-rights groups and observers who say the move undermines civil society and free expression.
A court in Zambia has ordered the government to hand former President Edgar Lungu's body back to a funeral home amid a controversial, high-profile dispute over his funeral arrangements.
A leaked five-year US health-financing plan offers about $1.012 billion for Zambia in exchange for 40,000 new health workers, $400 million in health services, and extensive health-data sharing (including 25-year pathogen data) linked to mining concessions; civil-society groups warn the terms are worse than similar deals, risk undermining Zambia’s health programs, and could give Washington outsized leverage, prompting potential legal challenges.
A young woman in Zambia was sent to a maximum-security prison after authorities denied her a legal abortion and she terminated the pregnancy on her own.
Violet Zulu, a 26-year-old in Zambia, was sentenced to seven years in 2024 for procuring her own abortion after clinics refused legal care and she couldn't afford private services; she delivered the fetus in a toilet, pleaded guilty after representing herself in court, and was later freed on appeal thanks to intervention by international rights groups. Her case highlights barriers to legal abortion, stigma, and lack of information, underscoring the need for better access and education amid Africa's high rate of unsafe abortions.