🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Hichilema makes public appearance, shutting out evacuation abroad claims
President Hakainde Hichilema has addressed a regional ministerial meeting in Lusaka, putting to rest days of speculation on opposition media platforms claiming he had been evacuated abroad for medical treatment.
The President opened the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Regional Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting on Monday, October 19, following several days of conflicting accounts about his whereabouts.
Some opposition broadcasts had claimed Hichilema was receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia or Dubai, while other versions placed him in China or India. None of those accounts was supported by publicly presented evidence.
Addressing regional delegates, Hichilema called for stronger cooperation in tackling insecurity and promoting economic development.
“Insecurity anywhere is insecurity everywhere,” he said.
“When there is conflict, lives and livelihoods are destroyed. When we end it, families can rebuild and businesses can create jobs, and that gives everyone a real stake in lasting peace.”
The President also urged regional leaders to translate political cooperation into economic opportunities as the ICGLR Pact marks its twentieth anniversary.
“That is why our Grow Zambia Agenda is, in the end, a regional agenda. When Zambia grows, the whole region should grow with us.”
His appearance in Lusaka directly contradicts claims circulating in recent days that he remained abroad for medical treatment.
The People’s Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu
October 19, 2026