Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu will now be buried in South Africa, where he had gone for medical treatment before his death this month.
The rift is largely over the burial plans for the late former president.
A last-minute cancellation of the return of Lungu’s body from South Africa by his family on Wednesday, left the country uncertain about when and where the former leader will be buried.
The Zambian government abruptly ended the national mourning period for the late former president.
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”.
“The government has done everything possible to engage with the family of our departed sixth president,” said Hichilema.
The national mourning period initially ran from 8 to 14 June but was later extended until 23 June, with flags flying at half-mast and radio stations playing solemn music.
The extension followed a meeting between government officials and Lungu’s family in an attempt to resolve the deadlock over his funeral programme.
Burial arrangements had been finalised and his remains were due to be flown back home on Wednesday on a private charter plane.
But the Edgar family said he would now be buried in South Africa.
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 family said it hoped that the former president’s body would be repatriated “some day” and buried in Zambia.
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.
“It is unfortunate that their efforts were in vain,” Hichilema said.
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. “This is not how we treat a former head of state.”
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”.
Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died earlier this month in South Africa where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.
After six years as head of state, Lungu lost the 2021 election to Hichilema by a large margin. He stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray.
Zambia: Dispute over ex-President Lungu’s funeral arrangements
Source: Africafeeds.com
