Hundreds Gather In Lusaka To Mourn Death Of Zambian Killed In Ukraine

Hundreds of people have gathered to mourn the loss of Lemekani Nyirenda the Zambian student who died fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

 The memorial service was held in Lusaka yesterday at the Lusaka Baptist Church.

The 23-year-old had been a regular worshipper at the church before moving to Russia to study nuclear engineering.

During his studies, he was convicted of a drug offence, whilst serving his 9-and-a-half-year sentence he was offered to join the Russian army group called Wagner.

By joining the group Mr Nyirenda would have his sentence withdrawn.

Family members gathered in the church to remember a man who was described by his father as a hard worker who helped set up the family beehive business.

He said that Mr Nyirenda had started working as a courier in Russia and following his time in the Russian army would return home to Zambia.

Mr Nyirenda body had been repatriated in December and following the memorial service yesterday will be laid to rest in a private ceremony in Rufunsa, east of Lusaka, later today.

The initial date for the funeral had been delayed over concerns that the remains were not those of the student. However, these were dispelled following a DNA test.

The tragic death had led to a diplomatic spat where Zambia had demanded the Kremlin to provide more information as to why Mr Nyirenda ended up on the front line.

The news comes as a Tanzanian national was confirmed as another soldier who had died after being recruited from a Russian jail.

Nemes Tarimo was also serving a jail sentence for undisclosed reasons and given the opportunity to join the Wagner group for payment and the promise of freedom.

He had been studying in the country before his seven-year sentence.

Photo: AFP