Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu has died at the age of 68, his party has said in a statement.

He had “been receiving specialized treatment in South Africa” for an undisclosed illness, the Patriotic Front said confirming the news.

Lungu led Zambia for six years from 2015, losing the election to the current President Hakainde Hichilema by a large margin.

After that defeat he stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray and appeared to have ambitions to run for the presidency again.