Zambian President Edgar Lungu has said his country will continue to partake in efforts aimed at bringing to book perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Lungu, who arrived in Rwanda yesterday for a two-day State Visit, made these remarks following his visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi on Wednesday.
Rwanda has to date issued warrants for 11 Genocide fugitives believed to be holed up in the Southern African nation and President Lungu told journalists that his government was committed to hunt them down to help ensure justice.
Rwanda and Zambia recently finalised an extradition treaty.
“In our country we are law abiding,” the visiting Head of State said, vowing that Zambia will not be a safe haven for Genocide suspects.
Lungu said that what happened in Rwanda in 1994 should serve as a lesson for other Africans so as to desist from divisive politics.
He also said there was need for Africans to look inward for solutions to the most pressing challenges they face.
At the memorial, President Lungu paid respects to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and laid a wreath.
President Lungu said that the visit to the memorial “reveals how the entire continent of Africa was colonised, divided, and subdued by colonisers who employed a divide-and-rule strategy.
The Zambian leader urged other African countries and peoples to learn from what happened in Rwanda and to always look to Africa for solutions to their problems, instead of waiting for answers from outside the continent.
“As Africans we have a lot to learn from here. We cannot continue to be divided anymore and we cannot continue looking to outside as Africa,” he wrote in the guest book at the memorial.
He added: “May the souls of victims of the genocide give hope to a rejuvenated Rwanda”.
President Lungu’s visit to Rwanda follows a two-day visit to Zambia by President Paul Kagame in June last year.
President, Lungu later on Wednesday toured the Special Economic Zone in Masoro, Gasabo District where he said that his country would seek to replicate the model.
He visited the Africa Improved Foods factory that produces fortified foods and exports, PharmaLab, and C&H garments factory.
Talking to reporters after the tour, the visiting President said that Zambia has a multi-facility economic zone which has been lying idle for a long time and they intend to revive it.
“I think this inspires us to expedite the completion of the project,” Lungu said. “With what we have seen here, we need to expedite by spending a bit more money. We didn’t have enough electricity and it was a constraint, and the roads were not done too. We’re going to invest a bit more based on the great achievements we see here,” he added.
Amir Ali, the chief executive of Africa Improved Foods, said the factory imported some maize from Zambia last year after local produce was affected by bad weather.
President Lungu called for stronger trade ties between the two countries.
“For instance, we are told there is no cotton here, but we have enough cotton back in Zambia. We also have a lot to share in terms of best practices,” he said.
Clare Akamanzi, the chief executive of Rwanda Development Board, noted that the special economic zone – which was first set up in 2011 – was entering its third development phase. Many firms have set up plants in the area in recent years, creating many jobs and encouraging knowledge and skills transfer.
President Lungu was last evening hosted to a state banquet organised in his honour.
The two presidents are today expected to hold bilateral talks and address a joint press conference before the end of Lungu’s two-day State Visit to Rwanda.
Same height
The evil twins
Are my the only one who has noticed that our president is not wearing a belt? Is it difficult to get one? Who’s responsible for our president’s outfit kanshi? Do they leave this function to the first lady or what? What if the buttons on the trousers break?
Brothers to be, are they not?
Edgar looks dizzy in this photo…could have been effect of the long trip.
Kagame’s posture on the podium looks confident and presidential, while Edgar has withdrawn shoulders and has a face of low self esteem and no confidence in oneself.
LUNGU committed genocide recently against some poor Zambians by stealing more and leaving them to live in the garbage then they died from Cholera then he goes to Rwanda, another country to say that he is committed to arrest of Genocide fugitives. How will it work when one of the fugitives is actually the one talking!
LUNGU don’t come back to Zambia you are a fugitive and to be honest, I don’t care!
Am suprised no one has noticed how our friends in Rwanda appear organised and disciplined. If this was KKIA you would have noticed the likes of Kamba and the ever laughing Presidential affairs minister and not to be outdone a contingent of defence chiefs with their own delegations.I hope our president has noticed this and will stop unnecessary abd costly delegations even when he is just going to Chibombo.
The trip is only to find out if Kigame had spoken good of him to Donald Trump, MUSELA KWA KABA.
ctually in the second picture above I thought Kagame was arresting Lungu, so he is embracing him, for what, I don’t know and to be fair I don’t flipping care an ounce!
Vincent Mwale – there was a party on Flight 9J-ONE again with Kaizer Djing…the lazy Bum can not even button his jacket!!
Vincent Mwale, what is the purpose of a belt? Its to hold up a loose fitting bottom. ECL’s trouser fit just right, why should he wear a belt? Kachema iwe!!!
Cornelius Mweetwa – not for pants/trousers that have a button exposed like that!!
OF ALL THE PHOTO JOURNALISTS, THERE WASN’T EVEN A SINGLE ONE WHO WAS INTERESTED IN TAKING PICTURES OF THE, Special Economic Zone in Masoro, Gasabo District. WERE THEY USING DIGITAL (ELECTRONIC) CAMERAS WHERE STORAGE CAPACITY AND THE NUMBER OF TIMES OR PICTURES IS NOT AN ISSUE OR WERE THEY STILL USING FILM-FED CAMERA WHICH ARE LIMITED TO THE LENGTH OF THE FILM FOR THEM NOT TO SHOW US THESE SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE MODELS? WELL! THE PRESIDENT (ECL) IMPHATICALLY SPOKE OF REPLICATING THE MODEL AND OUR JOURNALISTS COULDN’T EVEN BE BOTHERED. WHAT A SHAME!
A few Rwandees have been murdered here in Zambia.. Am now thinking aloud… Perhaps Rwanda has been hunting and killing perceived genocide fugitives on our own soil.. Kayaaaa
A number of them are in Chilenge !
How many left hands does Lungu have? Look at the top pic.
Why is his left hand always clenched into a fist?
Stop killing Rwandanese please. Edgar should have promised that they will stop.
@Bozo, tall guys are sharper than your big nose leader.
On what measure?
I can safely say people like you are the reason the country is bleeding and on a backward trajectory.He is all over the place and only exibits chimwemwe level of cleverness which can not sort out zambia,s problems and make it compete on a simple regional level.
In case you have not noticed everything says otherwise.Aba bena we scored an own goal.
By the way Hyundai and Kia are refered to as Korea’s evil twins in a good way “hold your fire” dont shoot from the hip.
It’s HYPOCRITICAL of Lungu to be a champion of genocide when back at home he has promoted tribalism & regionalism, cadre violence, purging of other tribes from civil service, police brutality on unarmed citizens, imprisonment of opposition leaders on fake charges, etc.
It’s only Zambian’s good nature that has prevented genocide.
It’s troubling, for President Lungu, welcoming President Kabila, and a few days later left for Rwanda, these two leaders they have amended their constitution so they can stay in power.
“These people (western countries) should desist from interfering in our domestic affairs, if our people want us to stay in office beyond the constitutional limit, that’s our own choice and so no one should be allowed to intervene,” Lungu issued his warning at State House during Kabila’s two-day visit to Zambia.
Ba Lungu, etiquette demands that you button up your jacket when standing, just check your colleague standing next to you
Zambia is heading in a difficult times!
A wise man once said show me your friend I tell you who you are!
Can’t Lungu befriend good leaders? Associating himself with deadly dictators shows it all!
Tomorrow will be bitter for Zambians!
KOSWE MU NDEKE
His bum gets itchy when he stays home for a month.
Like eating in his field Zambia is not enough gor this Kawawala Now he wants to start eating in Rwanda as well. The difference between these two is that one has a vision for his Country and the other one has no vision. His only vision is going round the country and telling people to steal.Uubomba mwibala alya mwibala
It is unacceptable for President ECL to lie to the World that they are law abiding in Zambia. Us the victims have been inflicted with heinous crimes in abuse of the justice system and state machinery, and just because of my tribe of being a Lozi. I wrote several letters to him Lungu and he has failed to come up with any sensible resolution. The Zambian judiciary was used. Tribally by Bembas and Easterners to extort and pillage me of my United Nations benefits, and belongings. He must bring those criminals to book and nit shiped them. The Zambia Police. Including his IG Kakoma and Nelson Phiri participated in those gender inferiority complex atta is on me, just because I am female and I progressed go join the UN. Nelson Phiri aided and abetted Rmed robbery of my Jeep Grand Cherokee and…
Kagame looks like he went to pick his brother from the village at a station. The man is not presidential, he has no confidence in him self. He mighty have stolen that election, he looks defeated. But why
Body language expects would say the President has an inferiority complex.., always watch out for his fallen face, clenched fists, poor dressing. His people really need to work on his image.
Kagame has been murdering his perceived enemies on Zambian soil with impunity, and you say we are committed to help him fight his tribal war’s. Wena be serious! that man has no respect for you, this country and life at all. He is simply a muderer
I am glad a little boy from Ing’ombe will never be president! He is dying with hate looking at this.
President Lungu is very kind, and soft, allowing all you ignorant imbeciles to access your disrespectiful, rotten , vile thoughts and irrational commentary through the Lusaka Times on a relentless basis. If i ever become the supreme leader of this Nation you will quickly learn discipline. Starting with the source of bigotted dissemination of news that is rife with insults i will install despotic measures until maturity reigns. This wild path of lies , insults and misdirection has to cease. Respect for our leaders is paramount.Put me in the zambian oval office you will scatter to your foxholes!