US recalls ambassador to Zambia amid gay rights row

The United States has recalled its ambassador to Zambia after he criticised the imprisonment of a gay couple in the country.

The pair, Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba, were sentenced to 15 years in prison last month after they were caught having sex in 2017. US diplomat Daniel Foote said he was “horrified’ at the court’s decision.

The Zambian government accused the ambassador of trying to influence the country’s policy. Zambia is a very conservative society and homosexual acts are illegal under strict sodomy laws. 

Mr Foote responded in a statement earlier this month, saying that he was merely expressing “my belief about a law and a harsh sentencing I don’t agree with”. He later criticised the Zambian government for wanting diplomats with “open pocketbooks and closed mouths”. 

US embassy sources confirmed that Mr Foote has now been recalled to Washington. Official sources claimed the relationship between the diplomat and Zambian President Edgar Lungu was now unworkable. Mr Foote served as Zambia’s ambassador since December 2017.

Photo credit: Swahili Times | Twitter