Zambia's foreign minister has warned diplomats against interfering in the country's affairs, days after the US ambassador raised concerns about the "systematic theft" of drugs donated to the southern African state. He added that he had decided to go public after holding more than 30 fruitless meetings with senior Zambian officials. Zambia's Health Minister Elijah Muchima earlier said the problem of theft predated the current government, which took office in 2021. But the health minister has reassured Zambians that there were sufficient stocks of all drugs so there was "no immediate risk of shortages". The US accounts for about a third of public health spending in Zambia, according to the US embassy.