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**hundreds
**
The number of people who attended a memorial service for Zambian students who died fighting for Russia in Ukraine in Lusaka on Tuesday (January 23).
The family lined up in front of Remekani Nielenda’s coffin at the Baptist Church in Lusaka.
Nyirenda was recruited by Russia’s Wagner mercenary group and sent to fight in Ukraine last year while serving a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence for drug crimes.
His death in September sparked diplomatic controversy, and Zambia demanded an urgent explanation from the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Tanzania confirmed on Tuesday that another student, Nemes Tarimo, was killed after being drafted in prison by Wagner.
“When Tarimo was serving time in prison, he was given the opportunity to join a Russian military group called Wagner.
“Talimo agreed, was taken to Ukraine and killed on October 24.”
illegal conscription
In recent months, men from Russian prisons have been recruited to fight on the front lines in Ukraine with the promise of reduced sentences and attractive rewards.
Tarimo, who has been studying in Russia since 2020, was arrested in March 2022 and sentenced to seven years in prison for reasons unknown.
“It is illegal for a Tanzanian national to join a foreign army,” the foreign minister added.
On Tuesday (January 23), Niirenda’s father Edwin paid tribute to his son, saying he was a hard worker who helped set up a beehive business for the family.
Edwin Nyirenda told mourners that after placing an ad online when his son got into trouble, he looked for part-time work and “started working as a courier.”
The last contact between the two was at the end of August, when Nyirenda told her father that she was returning home after going to war in Ukraine.
Nyilenda’s body will be repatriated in December and will be laid to rest in a closed-door ceremony in Luhunsa, east of Lusaka, on Wednesday.
The funeral was postponed after some family members expressed concern that the remains may not belong to the student.
But DNA tests have put all doubts to rest, according to Ian Banda, a spokesman for the family.
“It is possible that some parts are missing, but it is mostly Remekani’s body,” Banda told reporters after the service.
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