Overview
Zambia is located in southern Africa, bordered by Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana. Originally settled by hunter-gatherers more than 2,000 years ago, the area remained relatively untouched for centuries until the 19th century, when European explorers, missionaries and traders made their way to the central part of the country. Westerner David Livingstone was the first European to see the great waterfalls in the Zambezi River, in 1855, and named it Victoria Falls, after Britain’s Queen Victoria. Northern and Southern Rhodesia, as Zambia and Zimbabwe were then known, both came under Britain’s sphere of influence in the early 20th century, and briefly formed a federation with Nyasaland (now Malawi) before becoming independent in October 1964.
Although Zambia had considerable mineral wealth, it faced many troubles as a newly independent nation; notably, its over-dependence on foreigners for investment and experience in governing. Zambia tried to establish friendly relations with neighboring countries, but conflicts with Rhodesia in particular caused power supply and transportation issues. In the mid-1970s, a drop in the price of copper, Zambia’s primary export, forced the country to seek loans from international banks. When the price of copper remained low, the debts grew. Though the political situation stabilized, with the adoption of a new constitution in 1991, corruption continued to plague the country’s development. By the mid-1990s, Zambia’s per capita foreign debt remained among the highest in the world. Poverty continues to be a big problem, even though recent administrations have taken steps to reduce inflation, decrease interest rates and increase trade. In 2005, Zambia qualified for approximately $6 billion in debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Recent controversy with the United States has centered on Zambia’s refusal of US genetically modified food aid, and American efforts to pressure the country into changing its position.
Basic Information
Lay of the Land: Zambia is a kidney-shaped country of high plateaus and temperate climate located on the fringe of southern Africa. The magnificent Victoria Falls, one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls, thunders down the Zambezi River, a waterway that separates Zambia from its southern neighbor, Zimbabwe. Also to the south is the Caprivi Strip, a narrow extension of Namibia that is located between Zambia and northwestern Botswana, nearly joining Namibia with the Zimbabwe frontier.
Population: 11.7 million
Religions: Christian 83.7%, Ethnoreligious 12.9%, Baha’i 2.0%, Muslim 1.1%, Hindu 0.1%.
Ethnic Groups: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%.
Languages: Bemba 31.4%, Nyanja (official) 15.2%, Tonga 13.1%, Lozi 4.5%, Nsenga 4.1%, Tumbuka 3.7%, Lala-Bisa 3.5%, Nyiha 3.0%, Lunda 2.5%, Mambwe-Lungu 2.5%, Kaonde 2.4%, Lamba 2.0%, English (official) 0.05%, Mbukushu (official) 0.01%. There are 41 living languages in Zambia.
History
Zambia was originally settled by hunter-gatherer people who were displaced or absorbed by migrating tribes around 2,000 years ago. Bantu-speaking immigrants came to the area in the 15th century, increasing steadily until immigration reached its peak, between the late 17th century and early 19th century. These immigrants came largely from the Luba and Lunda tribes of the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Angola. Later, these people were joined by the Ngoni people from the south in the 19th century.
Portuguese explorers made occasional trips to the region, but for the most part, the area now known as Zambia remained untouched for centuries. Around the mid-19th century, Western explorers, missionaries and traders began to penetrate deeper into the country. Westerner David Livingstone was the first European to see the great waterfalls in the Zambezi River, in 1855. He named it Victoria Falls, after Queen Victoria. Subsequently, the Zambian town near the falls was named for him.
In 1888, Englishman Cecil Rhodes obtained mineral rights concessions from local Zambian chiefs. That same year, Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe) came under Britain’s sphere of influence. Southern Rhodesia was annexed, and granted self-government in 1923. Northern Rhodesia became a British protectorate in 1924.
In 1953, Northern and Southern Rhodesia joined with Nyasaland (now Malawi) to form the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Northern Rhodesia, in particular, suffered much turmoil and crisis as a result of African demands for greater participation in government and European fear of losing colonial control.
Elections held in October and December of 1962 resulted in an African majority in the legislative council and an uneasy coalition between the two African nationalist parties. The council passed resolutions calling for Northern Rhodesia’s secession from the federation and demanding full internal self-government under a new constitution and a new national assembly. On December 31, 1963, the federation was dissolved. Northern Rhodesia became the Republic of Zambia on October 24, 1964.
Zambia had considerable mineral wealth, but faced many challenges as an independent nation. Few Zambians had enough experience to run the government, so the economy was dependent on foreign expertise. Its closest neighbors, Southern Rhodesia, Mozambique and Angola, were all under European rule.
In 1965, however, white-ruled Southern Rhodesia declared independence and took the name Rhodesia. Zambia supported this move, as well as the one in South-West Africa (now Namibia), which sought to oppose colonial rule. During the next decade, Zambia actively supported rebel movements such as the Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (UNITA), the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU), the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), and the South-West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO).
Because of its support for anti-colonial groups, Zambia came into conflict with Rhodesia in 1977. The border between the two countries was closed and Zambia lost access to the Kariba hydroelectric station on the Zambezi River that had been providing the country with electricity. A railroad to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, built with Chinese assistance, reduced Zambian dependence on railroad lines south to South Africa, and west through an increasingly troubled Angola. In March 1978, Rhodesian troops briefly invaded Zambian territory in pursuit of ZAPU rebels.
By the late 1970s, Mozambique and Angola had attained independence from Portugal. Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia) achieved independence in accordance with the 1979 Lancaster House agreement, but Zambia’s problems were not solved. Many of the former Portuguese colonies were experiencing civil war, which resulted in many refugees seeking admittance into Zambia. The Zambian government also continued to support the African National Congress, headquartered in Lusaka, which caused further problems because South Africa raided ANC targets in Zambia.
During the mid-1970s, Zambia’s principal export of copper suffered a severe decline in price worldwide. The country turned to foreign and international lenders, but copper prices remained low, which made it hard to pay back its increasing debt.
In 1991, Zambia adopted a new constitution, which made it a multi-party democracy. Frederick Chiluba tried to liberalize the economy and privatize industry, but allegations of massive corruption obstructed many of these efforts. During the mid-1990s, Zambia’s per capita foreign debt remained among the highest in the world.
In 2005, Zambia qualified for approximately US $6 billion in debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
By then, Levy Mwanawasa had risen to power. Although Mwanawasa was originally viewed as Chiluba’s protégé, he embarked on an anticorruption campaign that led to charges against Chiluba and others in the preceding government. Mwanawasa’s anticorruption moves also resulted in the dismissal of his vice president and finance minister. A resulting attempt to challenge Mwanawasa’s leadership of the MMD was easily defeated in July 2005.
Meanwhile, Mwanawasa rejected a new constitution submitted by a commission he had appointed in 2002 that would have required a candidate receive more than 50% of the vote to be elected president (Mwanawasa had won his first election with only 30%). In the September 2006 presidential vote, Mwanawasa won reelection with 43% of the vote after trailing early in the campaign. The opposition accused the president of stealing the election, and there were some clashes between opposition supporters and police as a result. Mwanawasa’s MMD party also secured a narrow majority in the national assembly.
In November 2006, Chiluba’s corruption trial, which had stalled because of his ill health, was officially suspended, and he was permitted to travel to South Africa for medical treatment. However, in a case brought to Great Britain, the Zambian government sued Chiluba and 19 other people, reclaiming assets in Europe that the government asserted had been acquired through corruption. In May 2007, a British court ordered the 20 defendants to repay $46 million. That same month a Zambian court ordered Chiluba’s trial to resume.
Meanwhile, opposition leader and Patriotic Front presidential candidate Michael Sata, who had placed second in the 2006 presidential election, was charged with false declaration of his assets prior to the election. Sata denounced the charges as politically motivated, and they were soon dismissed.
History of Zambia (Wikipedia)
History of Zambia (History World)
History of U.S. Relations with Zambia
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Zambia were established on October 24, 1964, when Zambia became independent.
In 1993, the Peace Corps signed an agreement to begin work in Zambia. The first group of volunteers was sworn in on April 7, 1994.
Current U.S. Relations with Zambia
Zambia is a beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The US government provides a variety of technical assistance and other support that is managed by the State Department, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), Threshold Program, Centers for Disease Control, Department of Treasury, Department of Defense, and Peace Corps. The majority of US assistance is provided through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in support of the fight against HIV and AIDS. The US has also provided considerable emergency food aid during periods of drought and flooding through the World Food Program (WFP) and is a major contributor to refugee programs in Zambia through the UN High Commission for Refugees and other agencies.
More than 160 Peace Corps Volunteers and as many as 10 extension and Crisis Corps Volunteers promote sustainable development through their activities in agricultural and natural resource management, health and sanitation, rural education, and humanitarian assistance. Such activities include, helping to manage family fish farms, promoting food security and positive resource management practices near forest reserves, as well as implementing health and education reforms at the village level. Volunteers also help extend HIV/AIDS education and prevention efforts through PEPFAR.
In 2007, US assistance to Zambia exceeded $259 million. USAID’s program in Zambia included over $116 million for HIV/AIDS programs utilizing PEPFAR funding and $11 million to fight corruption and increase trade under the MCA Threshold Program.
In 2005, 23,895 Americans visited Zambia. The number of US visitors to Zambia has fluctuated between a low of 15,879 (2003) and a high of 23,895 (2005) in the last five years.
In 2006, 3,013 Zambians visited the US, an increase of 4.2% over the 2,893 that visited in 2005. The number of visitors has fluctuated between a low of 2,782 (2003) and a high of 3,165 (2002) in the last five years.
Zambia (USAID)
United States – Zambia relations (Wikipedia)
Zambia (BUYUSA.gov)
First Lady Laura Bush Tours Zambia To Highlight US HIV/AIDS Programs (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune)
Where Does the Money Flow
US trade with Zambia is dominated by the importation of nonferrous metals (those lacking iron). From 2004 to 2008, American purchases of such metals rose from $27 million to $35 million. The only other import that came close to these values was copper, which the US began to import in 2008 ($10.5 million).
Other top US imports from Zambia included tea, spices, and preparations, moving up from $95,000 to $207,000; cane and beet sugar, rising from $0 to $223,000; other gem stones (precious, semiprecious, and imitation), up from $90,000 to $4.1 million; and tobacco, waxes, and nonfood oils, increasing from $95,000 to $107,000.
During the same period, US imports from Zambia on the decline included green coffee, falling from $821,000 to $507,000; zinc, moving down from $154,000 to $0; and other industrial machinery, decreasing from $148,000 to $16,000.
American exports to Zambia included excavating machinery, increasing from $9.3 million to $9.9 million; computers, rising from $2.1 million to $35 million; civilian aircraft, moving up from $0 to $3.9 million; chemicals, up from $3.2 million to $4.8 million; and trucks, buses and special purpose vehicles, increasing from $197,000 to $3.98 million.
US exports on the decline included metalworking machine tools, decreasing from $5.6 million to $244,000; telecommunications equipment, moving down from $5 million to $3.1 million; and pharmaceutical preparations, decreasing from $4.9 million to $3.7 million.
The US sold $20,928 of defense articles and services to Zambia in 2007.
Zambia received $164.8 million in US aid in 2006. The largest recipient programs were HIV/AIDS ($116 million), Basic Education ($17.4 million), Malaria ($7.7 million) and Agricultural Sector Productivity ($5.7 million).
The 2008 budget request is double that of 2006, at $336.2 million. This is largely due to the growth of the HIV/AIDS program to $290 million.
Zambia will also receive funds outside of the Budget for Foreign Operations through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief (PEPFAR).
Congressional Budget for Foreign Operations (pages 331-334) (PDF)
Trade in Goods (Imports, Exports and Trade Balance) with Zambia (US Census Bureau)
Zambia: Debt Relief Puts Zambia on the Threshold to Move Forward - Foreign Minister Shikapwasha (AllAfrica.com)
Zambia: African Nation Accepts US GM Food Aid (Singy Hanyona, Environment News Service)
Controversies
Several Nations Refuse US GMO Food Aid
In June 2002, several nations receiving US food aid, including Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Guatemala and Nicaragua, refused to accept the supplies that contained transgenic corn, or maize. US officials have long promoted biotechnology as a way to solve the world’s hunger problems. Supplies that were rejected by Zimbabwe were then routed to Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. By May 2003, the US practice of offering GMO-modified crops to nations receiving food aid had erupted into a full-fledged controversy, with the European Union condemning the US decision to file a complaint with the Word Trade Organization over the EU’s moratorium on GMO foods. Zambia, following in the footsteps of Zimbabwe, also refused GMO food aid, and has suffered pressure from the US and others to change its position.
USA: Poor Countries Reject GMO Food Aid (Environment News Service)
TRADE: EU Defies US in Row over Genetically Modified Foods (by Stefania Bianchi, IPS News)
Zambia still refuses GM food aid (Afrol.com)
Human Rights
According to the State Department, Zambian security forces committed unlawful killings during 2008. The Legal Resources Foundation (LRF), an independent human rights organization that counseled victims’ families and represented them in actions against the government, consistently investigated and publicized such incidents. However, the government rarely punished perpetrators.
Police frequently used excessive force including torture when apprehending, interrogating, and detaining criminal suspects or illegal immigrants. In 2006, the government’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) reported that torture was prevalent in police stations, noting that, “police officers continue to rely on torture as an interrogation technique.”
Authorities also detained, interrogated, and physically abused family members or associates of criminal suspects in attempts to identify or locate the suspects. Officers who tortured, beat, or otherwise abused suspects, generally were not disciplined or arrested for such acts.
According to human rights groups, police occasionally demanded sex from female detainees as a condition for their release. There also were reports that police officers raped women and young girls while they were in custody.
Lack of professionalism, investigatory skills, and discipline in the police force remained serious problems. Low salaries and substandard government housing exacerbated police corruption, as did poor working conditions. Police released prisoners for bribes, extorted money from victims, and required “document processing fees” or “gas money” to commence investigations.
The constitution and law provide that authorities obtain a warrant before arresting a person for some offenses, but other offenses have no such requirement. For example, police are not required to obtain a warrant when they suspect that a person has committed offenses including treason, sedition, defamation of the president, unlawful assembly, or abuse of office. In practice, police rarely obtained warrants before making arrests.
Arbitrary arrest and detention remained problems. Police arbitrarily arrested family members of criminal suspects. Criminal suspects were arrested on the basis of insubstantial evidence, uncorroborated accusations, or as a pretext for extortion. Police stations frequently acted as “debt collection centers,” where police officers acting on unofficial complaints detained debtors without charge until they paid the complainants; in return, the police received a percentage of the payments.
Prolonged pretrial detention was a problem, and some defendants awaited trial for as long as three years. According to human rights groups, prison administrators routinely doctored paperwork to make it look as though prisoners had appeared before a magistrate when they had not, often because prison authorities had no fuel to transport prisoners to courts. Judicial inefficiency, lack of resources, and lack of trained personnel also contributed to prolonged pretrial detention.
Prison conditions were poor and life threatening. An inefficient judiciary delayed court proceedings and increased overcrowding. Poor sanitation, inadequate medical facilities, meager food supplies, and lack of potable water resulted in serious outbreaks of dysentery, cholera, and tuberculosis, which were made worse by overcrowding. Prisoners routinely complained that authorities denied them access to medical care as provided for by law. The failure to remove or quarantine sick inmates, combined with the lack of infirmaries at many prisons, resulted in the spread of airborne illnesses such as tuberculosis, often leading to prisoner reinfection and death. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in prisons was estimated at 27%. Antiretroviral treatment (ART) was available to some prisoners with HIV/AIDS, but poor nutrition often rendered ART ineffective.
Mob violence that targeted suspected criminals, persons accused of witchcraft, persons suspected of sexual impropriety, or persons with mental illness resulted in killings. No action was taken against perpetrators.
Journalists in the government-owned media generally practiced self-censorship. The government often criticized independent media outlets for being too outspoken. The government-controlled Times of Zambia and Zambia Daily Mail were two of the most widely circulated newspapers. The government exercised considerable influence over both newspapers, including reviewing articles prior to publication and censuring individuals responsible for published articles. Opposition political parties and civil society groups complained that government control of the two newspapers limited their access to mass communication. Government officials sometimes denounced vocal civil society leaders in the media to discredit them.
Officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Petty corruption in the police and other public authorities was particularly problematic. The World Bank’s worldwide governance indicators reflected that corruption was a serious problem. There remained a widespread public perception that corruption was pervasive in almost all government institutions. Controls over government funds and property were often weak, investigative units often lacked authority and personnel, and officials dealing with the public frequently demanded illicit payments. Additionally, the government had no clear policy for the disposal of confiscated assets, and the process to liquidate assets seized in the anticorruption campaign was not transparent.
The penal code does not specifically prohibit marital rape, and statutes that criminalize rape cannot be used in a practical sense to prosecute cases of rape in marriage. Domestic violence against women was a serious problem, and wife beating and rape were widespread. In practice, the police often were reluctant to pursue reports of domestic violence and preferred to encourage reconciliation. The law prohibits the sexual harassment of children, but there are no laws that specifically prohibit sexual harassment of adults, and sexual harassment in the workplace was common. Due to traditional and cultural inhibitions, most cases of violence against women and children went unreported.
Women were severely disadvantaged in formal employment and education. Married women who were employed often suffered from discriminatory conditions of service. Women had little independent access to credit facilities; in most cases, they remained dependent on their husbands, who were required to cosign for loans. As a result, few women owned their own homes.
The traditional practice of “sexual cleansing,” in which a widow has sex with her late husband’s relatives as part of a cleansing ritual, continued.
Scarce resources and ineffective implementation of social programs continued to adversely affect children. Education was not compulsory, and many children did not attend school. According to the UN Children’s Fund, the sexual abuse of female students by their teachers discouraged many girls from attending classes.
Child abuse and violence against children were problems, particularly defilement. Early marriage was a problem. There are laws that criminalize child prostitution, but the law was not enforced effectively, and child prostitution was widespread.
Child labor was a problem in subsistence agriculture, domestic service, and other informal sectors, where children under the age of 15 often were employed, and the law was not enforced. Among the worst forms of child labor the law includes are child prostitution, slavery in all its forms, military conscription, and work that is harmful to the safety, health, or morals of children and young persons.
The government did not collect or maintain data on the extent or nature of trafficking in the country. However, trafficking, particularly in the form of child prostitution, was believed to be significant. A June 2007 study on child trafficking in the country published by the International Labor Organization (ILO) concluded that trafficking was predominantly internal and involved family members and relatives. The study noted that children were often trafficked as a source of cheap labor and that girls were more at risk of being trafficked than boys.
There were also reports of strong societal and employment discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS.
Zambia's Ambassador to the U.S.
Siwela, Sheila
Sheila Siwela was appointed as Zambia’s ambassador to the United States on June 25, 2010.
She earned a diploma in Social Work from the University of Zambia, a bachelor’s degree in Administration from Canada’s University of Western Ontario, and a master’s degree in Human Resources Development from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.
In the early 1990s, Siwela was assigned to a committee focused on implementing the privatization process in Zambia. From 1993 to 2000, she served as a senior consultant to the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute, advising them on gender and leadership matters.
In 2002, Siwela founded the motivational Centre for Africa’s Transformation. From 2003 to 2005, she served as Deputy Head of Mission to Zimbabwe, and from 2005 to 2008, she was Zambia’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe.
From 2008 to 2010, Siwela served as ambassador to the Benelux countries, the European Communities, and the African, Caribbean Pacific. She was also Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Criminal Court.
Biography (Washington Diplomat)
New Envoy to US Calls for Loyalty Among Zambians Abroad (LusakaTimes)
- Table of Contents
- News
- Overview
- Basic Information
- History
- Newspapers
- History of U.S. Relations with Zambia
- Current U.S. Relations with Zambia
- Where Does the Money Flow
- Controversies
- Human Rights
- Debate
- Past Ambassadors
- Ambassador to the U.S.
- Embassy Web Site in the U.S.
- Comments
- Leave a Comment
U.S. Ambassador to Zambia
Storella, Mark
Mark C. Storella, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, was sworn in as ambassador to Zambia on August 30, 2010. Zambia has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world, and Storella has substantial experience in global public health efforts. His public health experience came in Geneva, Switzerland, where he worked on the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he helped on the effort to combat HIV/AIDS. He serves simultaneously as the U.S. Representative to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Storella earned his A.B. degree from Harvard College and an M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He joined the Foreign Service in 1985. His early assignments included postings in Rome, Italy, and Bangkok, Thailand. He served in Paris, France, from 1989 to 1991 as a member of the U.S. delegation to the Paris Conference on Cambodia, and followed that from 1991 to 1994 by serving as political officer in Phnom Penh, where he helped reestablish the U.S. diplomatic presence in Cambodia after a 17-year absence.
After serving in the State Department’s Office of the Counselor, Storella was a Rusk Fellow at Georgetown University in 2001 and 2002, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses on humanitarian intervention. He then returned to the Embassy in Phnom Penh as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2003 to 2006. He served in Geneva from 2006 to 2009, first as Counselor for Refugee and Migration Affairs (2006 to 2007), and then as Deputy Permanent Representative and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations (2007 to 2009). From 2009 to early 2010, he served as the Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, where he helped administer hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. humanitarian assistance. In Washington, Storella has worked at the NATO and Japan desks, and as Executive Assistant to the Counselor of the Department of State.
Storella is the author of monographs and articles on such diverse topics as multilateral arms control, humanitarianism in conflict situations and U.S.-Japan trade. His foreign languages are French, Khmer, Italian and Thai. He is married and has two sons.
Previous U.S. Ambassador to Zambia
Booth, Donald
Donald E. Booth began serving as the United States Ambassador to Ethiopia on March 11, 2010.
Booth earned a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in business administration from Boston University, and a master’s degree in national security studies from the National War College.
A member of the Senior Foreign Service, Booth was stationed at embassies in Bucharest, Brussels and Libreville, and has served as a desk officer in the Office of Egyptian Affairs and the Office of East African Affairs.
Previously, he was deputy director of the Office of Southern African Affairs, the economic counselor in Athens, Division Chief for Bilateral Trade Affairs at the State Department, director of the Office of West African Affairs, and director of the Office of Technical and Specialized Agencies at the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
Booth served three years as ambassador to Liberia and then took over as ambassador to Zambia on June 6, 2008.
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