Top Zambian opposition figures arrested days after presidential vote
Zambia: Senior Opposition Leaders Detained in Lusaka Raid Days After Presidential Election
Ninoda.com – Zambian security forces have detained eleven individuals — among them prominent opposition politicians — in connection with what the government describes as a planned armed uprising. Authorities announced that weapons were recovered during the operation, which took place in the capital, Lusaka.
The sweep occurred on Friday, just days after Thursday's presidential vote, and its timing has intensified tensions around the still-ongoing count of ballots.
Government Account of the Operation
Patrick Kangwa, the country's principal civil servant, told reporters that those taken into custody were linked to "military plans involving foreign nationals and illegal military training camps." He characterized the group as representing "a serious threat to state security," adding that they possessed "high-grade military weapons," ammunition, and additional materiel earmarked for an armed insurrection.
Kangwa further stated that gunfire was exchanged when officers moved in, alleging that shots were directed at law-enforcement personnel.
Among the detainees, according to Kangwa, was Patrick Mwansa — husband of Tasila Lungu, daughter of former President Edgar Lungu — alongside other political figures. All suspects are being held at various police stations across Lusaka.
Mundubile's Version of Events
Brian Mundubile, the leading opposition candidate and one of thirteen challengers in the race, was present at the scene of the raid at his own residence. Speaking to the BBC, he rejected the government's narrative outright, calling the accusations "total fabrications" and claiming that security forces staged an assassination attempt on his person.
"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 recounted that armed personnel arrived in an armoured vehicle, smashed through his gate, broke doors and windows, and opened fire inside the house. He said former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot while Mundubile and his wife were present, and that Kafwaya — whose current whereabouts remain unknown — was bleeding heavily. Mundubile pleaded with the officers to transport him to a hospital.
"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."
The opposition leader said his family has not returned to the home since Friday and continues to feel unsafe. He added that there was no militia at his property, and expressed frustration at senior officials presenting what he called falsehoods to the entire nation.
"It's unfortunate that senior government officials would present themselves before the entire nation to make such falsehoods," he told BBC Focus on Africa.
Election Context and Disputed Results
With results from more than half of the constituencies already declared, incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema — seeking a second five-year term — holds 62 percent of the vote. Mundubile, a 55-year-old opposition figure, trails at 36 percent.
Earlier, Mundubile had declared himself the winner and raised allegations of voting irregularities, though he did not present supporting evidence at the time. His campaign's parallel vote tabulation, he maintained the day after polling, showed him ahead. Authorities denied any rigging, and preliminary observer statements described election day as largely peaceful and orderly, while noting concerns about late electoral reforms and media-access restrictions in the run-up to the vote.
Mundubile subsequently alleged that Zambian army officers interrogated him over two videos he had released and that he was assaulted while in custody — claims the authorities rejected. He also accused Tanzania of dispatching individuals to interfere in the election; the Tanzanian government dismissed the charge as false and unfounded.
Counting Suspended, Then Resumed
Zambia's electoral commission briefly halted the counting and announcement of results on Friday, citing violence against polling staff and the theft of marked ballot papers. The suspension was lifted later that same day, with the commission stating the security threat had been contained.
The overall mood in the country remains broadly stable as Zambians await the full tally, though uncertainty has grown in the wake of the government's raid announcement. A heightened police presence is visible in certain districts of the capital.
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