ع
Zambian authorities announced the arrest of 11 individuals, among them senior opposition politicians, following a raid in Lusaka where high-grade military weapons, ammunition and other materials were seized. Patrick Kangwa, the country’s top civil servant, stated that those detained were connected to military plans involving foreign nationals and illegal training camps that posed a serious threat to state security. According to Kangwa, shots were fired at law enforcement officers during the operation, leading to an exchange of fire. Brian Mundubile, the leading opposition candidate who was present at the scene, has been taken into custody along with Patrick Mwansa, son-in-law of former president Edgar Lungu.
Mundubile described the Friday night raid as an attempt on his life and said colleagues were shot in his presence. The opposition leader, who had claimed victory in the August 13 presidential election based on his party’s parallel vote tally, alleged irregularities including military involvement at tallying centres. Speaking after the incident, he accused Tanzanian individuals of interfering in the poll, a charge the Tanzanian government rejected as false. Zambian police have denied reports that Mundubile was formally arrested and detained, according to a Reuters report.
With more than half the constituencies declared, incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema maintained a lead over Mundubile, according to figures from the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Al Jazeera reported that Hichilema held approximately 52.6 percent of the counted votes while Mundubile stood at 42.1 percent in early tallies from 105 of 226 constituencies. The commission briefly suspended the counting process on August 14 citing violence against polling staff and theft of ballot papers before resuming later that day once the security situation was contained, an Associated Press dispatch noted.
Economic hardship defined much of the campaign, with high living costs and frequent power outages dominating voter concerns across the southern African nation. Reuters noted that the August 13 vote served as a test of Hichilema’s economic reform record since he took office in 2021 after defeating the long-ruling Patriotic Front. Approximately 8.79 million voters were registered for the polls, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia, while the challenges included managing external debt and attracting investment in the mining sector that forms the backbone of the economy.
International observers described election day as largely peaceful and orderly even as they flagged issues with late electoral reforms and restrictions on media freedom in the pre-poll period. An Al Jazeera analysis indicated that Mundubile’s alliance had previously accused the government of raiding its offices and detaining dozens of supporters in the days before voting. The opposition maintained that such actions undermined the democratic process amid the closely fought contest.
Reports from human rights organizations have highlighted a pattern of opposition arrests in recent years. The BTI 2026 Zambia Country Report pointed to a spate of detentions of opposition politicians since 2023, raising concerns about shrinking democratic space under the current administration. Freedom House assessments similarly documented multiple instances where opposition figures faced charges following protests against government policies.
The suspects remain in custody at various police stations in Lusaka as investigations continue into the alleged plot. Authorities have emphasized that the operation prevented a potential threat to national stability following the closely contested election.
