Security forces in Zambia have arrested 11 people, including senior opposition figures, and seized weapons allegedly linked to a plot to stage an armed insurrection, authorities said.
Among those reportedly arrested is Patrick Mwansa, the husband of Tasila Lungu, daughter of former President Edgar Lungu. The leading opposition presidential candidate, Brian Mundubile, was also present during a security raid in Lusaka but denied any involvement in an alleged insurrection plot.
Zambia’s top civil servant, Patrick Kangwa, said the suspects were connected to alleged military plans involving foreign nationals and illegal military training camps.
He said the security operation uncovered high-grade military weapons, ammunition and other materials allegedly intended for an armed uprising.
According to Kangwa, shots were fired at law enforcement officers during the operation, leading to an exchange of gunfire. The suspects are being held at various police stations in Lusaka.
Mundubile, however, rejected the government’s allegations as “total fabrications”, telling the BBC that security forces had instead staged an assassination attempt against him during the raid on his home on Friday.
He alleged that armed personnel used an armoured vehicle to break through the gate of his residence before smashing doors and windows and opening fire.
“They were basically shooting indiscriminately. They directed two shots towards me. Like I’ve always said, it was just by God’s grace that I survived,” Mundubile said.
He also alleged that former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot during the operation while Mundubile and his wife were present. He said Kafwaya was bleeding and that he appealed to the security personnel to take him to hospital.
Mundubile said the incident had left his family traumatised and that they had not returned home since the raid because they felt unsafe.
The opposition candidate is trailing incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema in the preliminary results from last Thursday’s presidential election, with results from more than half of the constituencies announced.
Mundubile had earlier claimed that his campaign’s parallel vote tabulation showed him in the lead and alleged irregularities in the electoral process. Authorities rejected the allegations, while election observers described voting day as largely peaceful and orderly.
However, international observers raised concerns over late electoral reforms, media freedom and unequal access to the media during the campaign.
The European Union and Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer missions have also expressed concern over a brief suspension of the counting and announcement of results by Zambia’s electoral commission on Friday.
The commission said the suspension was triggered by violence against polling officials and the theft of marked ballot papers. It lifted the suspension later the same day after declaring that the security threat had been contained.
SADC said the interruption had created “uncertainty and anxiety”, while the EU said any suspension of the process should be clearly explained, legally grounded and proportionate.
The EU’s chief observer, Michael McNamara, said the election was “genuinely competitive” but took place against a backdrop of a “constrained democratic space” and an uneven playing field.
He cited what he described as a blurring of the lines between the state and the ruling party, including heavily biased coverage by state-owned media.
Mundubile has also made other allegations concerning the election, including claims of military involvement at tallying centres and irregularities involving ballot boxes. He later alleged that he was interrogated by Zambian army officers over videos he released and assaulted while in custody, claims authorities denied.
He also accused Tanzania of sending individuals to interfere in the election, an allegation the Tanzanian government dismissed as false and unfounded.
Despite the arrests and renewed political tensions, the general situation in Zambia remains stable as citizens await the final presidential election results, although security has been heightened in parts of Lusaka.
The EU observer mission urged all stakeholders to ensure that the remaining stages of the electoral process are conducted peacefully, transparently and in accordance with Zambian law.
