Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema boycotted a three-nation wildlife conservation summit in Harare on Thursday.
Hichilema’s non-participation is perceived as a further indication of the ongoing diplomatic strain between him and President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
While Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi was present for the event, Hichilema sent his Minister of Tourism, Rodney Sikumba, to represent Zambia for the signing ceremony of the Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia Tripartite Transfrontier Conservation Area memorandum of agreement.
The rift between Presidents Hichilema and Mnangagwa was sparked by the latter’s recent comments made during a visit to Russia.
In a private conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mnangagwa suggested that the United States was using Zambia to isolate Zimbabwe, unaware that his remarks would become public. He said:
The Americans are consolidating their power in that country (Zambia), both in terms of security and in terms of financial support to make sure that we feel lonely.
Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mulambo Haimbe, said Mnangagwa’s comments were “an unwarranted attack on the country’s sovereignty” and called for “urgent and immediate intervention” by regional countries to restore relations.
The relationship between Zimbabwe and Zambia has been strained since Hichilema, a longtime opposition leader, assumed the Zambian presidency in 2021, defeating incumbent Edgar Lungu who had the support of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party.
According to ZimLive, Hichilema was previously part of a regional alliance of opposition parties that included Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change.
The Zimbabwean government has suspected that Hichilema has been providing financial assistance to Zimbabwe’s opposition groups.
The tensions escalated further after Zimbabwe’s disputed general elections in August 2023. A Southern African Development Community (SADC) election observation mission headed by former Zambian Vice President Nevers Mumba concluded that the polls did not meet regional and international standards for democratic elections.
Mnangagwa and Hichilema are expected to come face to face in August when Zimbabwe hosts the 44th SADC Summit.
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