Zambia's government announced on Sunday that police had arrested 11 people, including six opposition figures, in a raid against "militia activity." The arrests took place on Thursday night, according to a government statement. "The individuals in issue were found in possession of high-grade military weapons, ammunition and other materials for use in armed insurrection," it said. Zambia's main opposition party, the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Progress (NRPUP), said shots were fired in the raid, which took place at the home of its presidential candidate Brian Mundubile, as (AFP) reported.
The party said it "rejects with absolute disdain the spurious and entirely false claims made by the Zambian Government that the NRPUP, its leadership or its members have been involved in insurgency, militia activity or any related conduct whatsoever." Mundubile added that heavily armed personnel had raided his residence after the election in what he described as an attack on his life. He also claimed on social media that he was interrogated by army officers over videos he had released, and that he suffered mistreatment while in custody — accusations denied by the authorities. However, the government has responded that those claims were "unsubstantiated," with outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Mulambo Haimbe telling DW that "the individuals that have been apprehended have been charged, first of all, and will face trial." "So, it is not Mr Mundubile's place to make assertions on matters that will go through a court process," he stressed, adding the any actions taken by authorities made sure that the "security of the nation is not compromized" during the election process.
The arrests come amid an intensely contested election: The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) ha suspended vote counting for around six hours on Friday following reports of violence perpetrated against polling staff and the alleged theft of ballot papers. The count resumed after the commission announced that the "security threat" had eventually been contained, reported. Mundubile argued that this suspension created opportunities for interference and manipulation of results, while the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) rejected the claims, saying he was attempting to undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
Opposition figures say, however, that the concerns extend beyond the pause in the vote count. In a statement, Makebi Zulu, vice presidential candidate of the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance (TPA), alleged a broader pattern of interference involving electoral officials, missing polling documents, security force involvement and intimidation of opposition actors. "A climate of fear cannot produce a free and fair election," Zulu warned.
Similar concerns have also been raised by Zambia's Conference of Catholic Bishops, which called on the ECZ to "account fully and publicly for the chain of custody of every affected ballot box and ballot paper." The group of bishops, which wields considerable influence in the country, further urged authorities to ensure that any military deployment remain limited, transparent and temporary. They also expressed concern over reports of harassment and the alleged detention of opposition officials by armed officers, calling for full transparency over the whereabouts of anyone held by authorities. "Any person held by state agencies must be promptly accounted for, granted access to legal counsel and family, and either charged according to law or released," the bishops said.
International observers from the European Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) also voiced their concerns about aspects of the electoral process, including mounting reports of intimidation and tensions surrounding the counting process. SADC warned that the suspension ofvote counting had generated "uncertainty and anxiety" among voters and political stakeholders. The European Union Election Observation Mission raised similar concerns, saying the campaign had been held in a "constrained democratic space," also citing reports of intimidation of opposition candidates, disruptions to some rallies, late changes to electoral laws, and an uneven playing field, which it said favored the ruling party.
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