The former president of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, has walked free from court in Lusaka after his trial on charges of treason was abandoned within minutes of opening.

The state, which had alleged that Mr Kaunda was involved in a coup attempt last October, withdrew its case without giving a reason.

A BBC correspondent in the region says it's widely believed that Mr Kaunda's friend and ally, President Mandela of South Africa, mediated a deal.

Speaking shortly after his release, Mr Kaunda said he would like to thank Mr Mandela.

The former Zambian leader, who's been under house arrest for nearly six months, described the case against him as politically motivated.

About eighty other defendants, many of them soldiers, remain on trial in connection with the coup attempt.