Top Zambian opposition figures arrested days after presidential vote

Security forces in Zambia have seized weapons and arrested 11 people, including senior opposition figures, allegedly involved in an insurrection plot, the government has said.

The leading opposition candidate in last Thursday’s presidential election, Brian Mundubile, was also found at the scene of the raid in the capital, Lusaka, according to the country’s top civil servant Patrick Kangwa.

In an interview with the BBC, Mundubile dismissed the accusations as “total fabrications”, saying security forces staged an assassination attempt on his life during a raid at his home on Friday.

With results from more than half of the constituencies announced, he is trailing incumbent Hakainde Hichilema.

Mundubile had earlier claimed victory and alleged there were voting irregularities.

Giving details about the raid, Kangwa said the individuals arrested were connected to “military plans involving foreign nationals and illegal military training camps”.

He added that they posed “a serious threat to state security” and held “high-grade military weapons”, ammunition and other materials intended for use in an armed insurrection.

He alleged that shots were fired at law enforcement officers leading to an exchange of fire.

Mundubile however told the BBC that there was no militia at his home.

“It’s unfortunate that senior government officials would present themselves before the entire nation to make such falsehoods,” he told BBC Focus on Africa.

According to Kangwa, among those arrested were Patrick Mwansa, the husband of Tasila Lungu, the daughter of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu, and other politicians.

The suspects are being held in custody at various police stations in Lusaka.

Mundubile described the raid to the BBC in detail, saying armed personnel knocked down the gate with an armoured vehicle, broke doors and windows and opened 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.

“So they came in to kill us,” he said.

Mundubile said former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot while he and his wife were present. He said Kafwaya, whose whereabouts remain unknown, was bleeding and he urged the officers to take him to hospital.

Mundubile said his family remains traumatised.

“My children saw their uncle… bleeding profusely and being dragged like an animal… 80 soldiers coming into the house, shooting indiscriminately and breaking doors and windows down is not an experience anybody would want to go through.”

He said he and his family had not returned home since Friday and felt unsafe.

On the day following the election, he maintained that his campaign’s parallel vote tabulation showed him in the lead and repeated allegations of irregularities, without providing detailed evidence

The authorities denied the claims of vote rigging and in preliminary statements observers described election day as largely peaceful and orderly.

They did however raise concerns about late electoral reforms, media freedom and access to the media in the run-up to the poll.

The mood remains stable as Zambians await the full results of the election, although some uncertainty has emerged following the government’s announcement of the raid.

However, there is a heightened security police presence in some parts of the capital.

Mundubile had made a series of allegations about the electoral process, including reports of military involvement at tallying centres and irregularities involving ballot boxes.

He later said he was being interrogated by Zambian army officers over two videos he released and alleged he had been assaulted while in custody, which authorities denied.

He also accused Tanzania of sending individuals to interfere in the election, an allegation the Tanzanian government firmly rejected as false and unfounded.

Zambia’s electoral commission briefly suspended the counting and announcement of results on Friday, citing violence against polling staff and theft of marked ballot papers.

It lifted the suspension the same day, saying the security threat had been contained.

Both the European Union (EU) and the southern African (Sadc) observer missions have since expressed concern over the suspension of the vote counting.

On Saturday, Sadc said it had created “uncertainty and anxiety” while the EU mission said any such interruption should be clearly explained, legally grounded and proportionate.

The EU mission’s chief observer Michael McNamara said the elections took place “against a backdrop of constrained democratic space”.

He said even though the elections were “genuinely competitive” the conditions in which the candidates competed were “uneven”.

He cited the blurring of lines between state and the party, including state media coverage being “heavily biased” to favour the ruling party.

“It is important that the remaining stages of the process are conducted calmly, transparently, and in full accordance with Zambian law and the procedures in place.”

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