Zambia: Opposition leader detained two weeks after election

Brian Mundubile, the opposition candidate in Zambia's presidential election, was handed over to police on Thursday after being placed under UN protection in Lusaka. He is accused of insurrection and inciting violence, charges he denies.

Zambia's public broadcaster ZNBC announced on Thursday that Brian Mundubile, who came in second in the August 13 presidential election, and his running mate Makebi Zulu "have been handed over to the police and are currently being interviewed." Police spokesman Godfrey Chilabi stated that the two opposition leaders were being questioned by a team of officers in the presence of their lawyers. A statement is expected to be released once the procedure is complete.

Mundubile had spent the previous two weeks in hiding after raids were carried out at his party headquarters and his home the day after the election. Eleven people were arrested during these operations, and a former minister, Mutotwe Kafwaya, was shot dead in a shootout with security forces. According to ZNBC, Mundubile and Zulu were "under UN protection" in the capital before surrendering to the police.

The opposition leader heads the National Reconciliation, Unity and Prosperity Party (NRPUP), the party that governed Zambia before outgoing President Hakainde Hichilema came to power. On the evening of August 13, Mundubile briefly declared himself the winner, before the electoral commission confirmed Hichilema's re-election with approximately 60% of the vote. Mundubile then announced his intention to challenge the results in court, denouncing irregularities and calling the accusations against him fabricated.

This legal avenue, however, encountered an unexpected obstacle: on Monday, the legal deadline for filing an appeal, Zambia closed all of its courts, citing "security reasons," a decision sharply criticized by human rights organizations and legal experts. The police had summoned Mundubile for questioning the previous week, stating they were seeking to establish links between him and "various alarming activities that could threaten national security."

Hichilema, whose inauguration for a second term is scheduled for September 1st, had alluded to plots against national security shortly before the vote. Zambia usually enjoys a reputation for democratic stability on the African continent, but the conduct of this election and its aftermath have seriously tarnished that image.