Lubinda Snubs American Embassy Delegation

The Patriotic Front’s (PF) acting president Given Lubinda has refused to meet with a delegation from the American Embassy until the U.S. government responds to a letter that he wrote last year protesting criticism of his party by President Joe Biden at the UN General Assembly. 

On Thursday, the embassy’s political unit chief Alexandra King Pile and political specialist David Chibanda visited the PF Secretariat building in Lusaka. However, Mr Lubinda refused to meet with them – or anyone else from the American delegation – until he received a response from the U.S. government.

It follows comments by President Biden at the United Nations General Assembly meeting last year, in which he criticised the former Patriotic Front government in Zambia as corrupt. 

In a statement, the PF’s media director Antonio Mwanza said Lubinda would not engage with the American embassy until he received a response. Mr Mwanza said doing nothing would lub hypocrisy and discourtesy on the part of the U.S.