Traditional and church leaders warn troop deployment during election has unsettled the nation

Traditional and church leaders warn troop deployment during election has unsettled the nation

Senior Chief Nsamba of Lunga in Luapula Province and Anglican Diocese of Central Zambia Bishop Emmanuel Chikoya have warned that the deployment of commandos to help manage the general election has put the country’s peace at risk, saying the presence of soldiers on the streets has instilled fear among many Zambians.

Chief Nsamba described the decision to deploy soldiers onto the streets of Lusaka and the Copperbelt as an indictment of the Electoral Commission of Zambia, saying he had never witnessed anything comparable in his lifetime. He urged the military to remain professional and resist being drawn into political matters, warning that such conduct would run contrary to international law.

The traditional leader called on all Zambians to maintain peace regardless of the electoral outcome, describing Zambia as a beacon of peace whose stability matters more than any individual political contest. He appealed to politicians to refrain from violence and to ensure their supporters exercised similar restraint.

Bishop Chikoya, for his part, urged President Hakainde Hichilema to uphold the rule of law and respect the will of the people throughout the election process. He noted that the level of tension surrounding the current election had not been experienced during the 2021 poll, when soldiers were not deployed onto the streets in a similar manner.

The concerns raised by the two leaders were echoed by journalists at an Electoral Commission of Zambia stakeholder briefing, where KBN TV’s Innocent Phiri noted that many Zambians were gripped with fear over the unprecedented sight of soldiers managing an election.

Transparency International Zambia executive director Maurice Nyambe separately raised concern that the involvement of the military in unresolved election disputes risked militarising what ought to remain a strictly civilian and lawful process. He noted reports that opposition figures, including presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and several of his associates, had been detained and questioned by army officers, and called for clarity on the legal basis for such detentions and whether those affected had access to legal representation.

Head of the International Conference on Great Lakes Region Election Observation Mission, former Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi, confirmed that observer missions had launched shuttle diplomacy between the ruling and opposition parties following heightened tensions after the suspension of vote counting, urging all sides to de-escalate and avoid inflammatory language.

Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Permanent Secretary Dickson Matembo appealed to citizens and political figures alike to avoid statements capable of inciting unrest, reaffirming that security operations would continue to be adjusted in line with the prevailing situation to protect lives and property.