Zambia’s post-election calm has been shaken after security forces arrested 11 people, including senior opposition figures, and seized weapons in what the government says was a plan to stage an armed insurrection.
The arrests came as the country continued counting votes from last Thursday’s presidential election, with opposition leader Brian Mundubile trailing incumbent Hakainde Hichilema in the preliminary results. Mundubile, however, was found at the scene of a security raid in Lusaka and has strongly rejected the government’s claims, calling them “total fabrications”.
Zambia’s top civil servant Patrick Kangwa said the people arrested were linked to alleged military plans involving foreign nationals and illegal military training camps. He said the group posed “a serious threat to state security” and had high-grade military weapons, ammunition and other materials that were allegedly meant for an armed uprising.
Kangwa also said law enforcement officers came under fire during the operation, leading to an exchange of gunfire.
Mundubile gave a different account of the incident, telling the BBC that security forces targeted his home in an attempt on his life. He said armed personnel arrived with an armoured vehicle, knocked down the gate, 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 during the raid while he and his wife were present. He said Kafwaya was bleeding and that he asked the officers to take him to hospital. His whereabouts were not immediately known.
The opposition leader said the raid had left his family traumatised and that they had not returned to their home since Friday because they did not feel safe.
“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.”
Mundubile also denied that his home was being used by a militia, rejecting the government's account of what happened during the operation.
“It's unfortunate that senior government officials would present themselves before the entire nation to make such falsehoods,” he told BBC Focus on Africa.
Kangwa said those taken into custody included Patrick Mwansa, the husband of Tasila Lungu, daughter of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu, as well as other politicians. The suspects were being held at different police stations in Lusaka.
The arrests have come at a sensitive moment for Zambia, with the presidential vote still being counted and the opposition questioning the process.
With results from more than half of the constituencies announced, Hichilema had secured 62 per cent of the vote while Mundubile had 36 per cent. Hichilema is seeking a second five-year term, while Mundubile was among 13 candidates who contested the presidency.
Despite trailing in the official preliminary figures, Mundubile earlier declared himself the winner and claimed there had been irregularities during the election. He said his campaign's parallel vote tabulation had placed him ahead, although he did not provide detailed evidence to support the claim.
Authorities rejected allegations of vote rigging. Preliminary reports from election observers described voting day as largely peaceful and orderly, although they raised concerns about late electoral reforms, media freedom and access to the media before the election.
Mundubile has made several allegations about the conduct of the election. He has claimed there was military involvement at tallying centres and raised concerns over irregularities involving ballot boxes.
He later said he was questioned by Zambian army officers over two videos he had released and alleged that he was assaulted while in custody. Authorities denied the allegations.
The opposition leader also accused Tanzania of sending people to interfere with the election. The Tanzanian government rejected the allegation as false and unfounded.
The election process was briefly disrupted on Friday when Zambia's electoral commission suspended the counting and announcement of results. The commission said the decision followed violence against polling staff and the theft of marked ballot papers.
The suspension was lifted later the same day after authorities said the security threat had been contained.
The move attracted concern from both the European Union and the Southern African Development Community observer missions.
Sadc said the interruption had created “uncertainty and anxiety”, while the EU mission said any suspension of the counting process should be clearly explained, legally grounded and proportionate.
EU chief observer Michael McNamara said the election had taken place “against a backdrop of constrained democratic space”.
Although he described the election as “genuinely competitive”, McNamara said the conditions under which candidates competed were “uneven”.
He pointed to what he described as a blurring of the line between the state and the ruling party. He also said state media coverage was “heavily biased” in favour of 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.”
The latest arrests have added a new layer of uncertainty as Zambians wait for the final presidential results. The general mood in the country has remained stable, although security has been increased in some parts of Lusaka following the government's announcement about the raid.
Hichilema is seeking to retain the presidency for another five years, while Mundubile's allegations and the government's claims over the alleged insurrection plot have placed additional attention on the final stages of the election process.