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Zambia's overseas curate has warned diplomats against interfering successful the country's affairs, days aft the US ambassador raised concerns astir the "systematic theft" of drugs donated to the confederate African state.
Mulambo Haimbe said determination was an "increasing tendency" by envoys to disregard diplomatic channels, and this could undermine the "spirit of communal respect".
He did not sanction anyone, but his comments were seen arsenic being directed astatine the US ambassador to Lusaka, Michael Gonzales.
Last week, Gonzales called a property league to denote that the US was cutting $50m (£37m) of wellness aid to Zambia because of the theft of life-saving medications that the US had provided for patients.
He added that helium had decided to spell nationalist aft holding much than 30 fruitless meetings with elder Zambian officials.
In his response, Haimbe said that addressing the authorities done the media amounted to interference and was successful breach of diplomatic conventions.
"We stay unfastened to addressing immoderate matters of interest done due diplomatic channels," the curate added.
Last week, the US embassy said it had presented its findings of the alleged corruption to Zambian officials successful April past year, and had offered assistance to halt further theft and to bring the culprits to justice.
However, nary enactment was taken by the Zambian authorities, it added.
On Monday, Zambia's Home Affairs Minister Jacob Mwiimbu said that a forensic audit connected the alleged theft had been completed and handed implicit to information agencies for further action.
About 75 radical person been arrested successful a countrywide crackdown that saw much than 400 wellness facilities raided implicit the alleged scam, helium said.
"There volition beryllium nary ineffable cows successful this pursuit," Mwiimbu added.
Gonzales said that an inspection carried retired by US officials astatine much than 2,000 pharmacies past twelvemonth had recovered that astir were selling drugs and aesculapian supplies donated by the US.
Zambia's Health Minister Elijah Muchima earlier said the occupation of theft predated the existent government, which took bureau successful 2021.
Muchima besides said respective Zambian officials had been sacked pursuing the thefts identified by the US, and that "an precocious integer banal tracking system" had been acceptable up to show the proviso of medicines.
The chopped successful US assistance, expected to instrumentality effect adjacent year, would impact drugs to dainty malaria, HIV and TB.
But the wellness curate has reassured Zambians that determination were capable stocks of each drugs truthful determination was "no contiguous hazard of shortages".
Gonzales said the caller US measurement was abstracted to the overseas assistance frost announced by President Donald Trump successful January.
The frost has affected wellness programmes crossed Africa, including shipments of captious aesculapian supplies, among them HIV drugs.
In March, Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema said Trump had "slapped america connected some cheeks", saying it was clip for his state to fortify its treasury to procure its ain medicines.
The US accounts for astir a 3rd of nationalist wellness spending successful Zambia, according to the US embassy.
English (US) ·