Diaspora to protest at the UN as Haimbe arrives to defend Zambia's record

Zambia's post-election argument is going to New York. Diaspora groups in the United States say they will protest outside United Nations headquarters this week — timed to the General Assembly — over the disputed 13 August election and the killing of former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya.

Waiting inside the building is the government's answer. Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe has arrived in New York leading the delegation to UNGA 81, where he will represent President Hichilema and deliver Zambia's national statement on 28 September. The mission's agenda is ambitious: the Grow Zambia investment drive, a National Architecture for Peace, and — pointedly — Zambia's candidature for the UN Human Rights Council for 2027–2029.

The juxtaposition is stark. The government is asking the world to seat it on the Human Rights Council while, at home, eighteen opposition figures face treason charges, the EU Parliament has demanded an independent probe into Kafwaya's death, and a UN Special Rapporteur has urged authorities to release political detainees and restore fundamental freedoms.

Haimbe is expected to reaffirm Zambia's commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. The protesters outside will be measuring those words against Mukobeko. Zambia's HRC bid now runs through the gap between the two.