1990 Zambian coup attempt

The 1990 Zambian coup d'état attempt was a military coup d'état attempt that took place in Zambia on 1 July 1990. The coup lasted no more than 6 hours and took place between 3 and 9 A.M. when the coup's leader, Lieutenant Mwamba Luchembe of the Zambian Army, announced via the ZNBC (national radio station) that the military had taken over the government and he cited riots of the previous week as reasons for his action; about 27 people had died in the riots, while more than 100 were wounded.

The coup was in response to growing discontent with Zambia's single-party system under Kaunda's United National Independence Party (UNIP), as well as perceived economic mismanagement. Prior to the attempted coup, major inflation due to the government's sudden removal of all price controls and subsidies resulted in urban uprisings, which were brutally suppressed.

Although Lieutenant Luchembe's coup attempt against the then President Kenneth Kaunda failed, it weakened Kaunda's political power, which was already shaky after three days of rioting.