Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu died at the age of 68, his party has said in a statement.
He had “been receiving specialized treatment in South Africa” for an undisclosed illness, the Patriotic Front added.
Lungu led Zambia for six years from 2015, losing the 2021 election to the current President Hakainde Hichilema by a large margin.
After that defeat he stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray and appeared to have ambitions to run for the presidency again.
In a video statement, Lungu’s daughter Tasila said that the former head of state, who had been “under medical supervision in recent weeks”, died at 06:00 (04:00 GMT) on Thursday.
“In this moment of grief, we invoke the spirit of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ – the timeless creed that guided President Lungu’s service to our country,” she added.
The former President, who has been receiving specialized treatment in South Africa, died on Thursday, 5th June 2025 at Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa.
President Edgar Lungu served as Zambia’s Sixth Republican President from January 26, 2015 to August 24, 2021.
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