Mundubile and Makebi reportedly seek refuge at UN premises amid militia investigation
NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and his running mate, Makebi Zulu, have reportedly sought refuge at the premises of a United Nations agency in Lusaka, amid a government investigation into an alleged militia network and the seizure of military-grade weapons.
Lusaka, 18 August – According to sources cited by News Diggers, the two opposition politicians went to the UN premises on Monday, saying they feared for their safety and could not freely return to their homes.
The report says the UN agency has since formally notified the Zambian government that Mr Mundubile and Mr Zulu are at its premises.
The development comes days after Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa said Mr Mundubile had been found at the scene of a shootout involving police and people allegedly linked to a militia group associated with his political alliance.
Mr Kangwa said 11 members of the Tonse Alliance had been arrested in connection with the possession of high-grade military weapons and alleged activities threatening state security.
Government sources cited by News Diggers said weapons recovered during the operation included sniper rifles and submachine guns.
The sources also claimed that some of those arrested were suspected snipers and that foreign nationals were among the people found at the location.
“The shootout did happen,” one source told News Diggers, adding that investigations were continuing to establish what happened at the scene and to account for everyone who had been present.
The government has not publicly said that Mr Mundubile or Mr Zulu has been charged in connection with the alleged militia activities.
The reported move to the UN premises therefore comes as questions remain over the status of the two politicians and whether they are being treated as suspects, witnesses or individuals seeking protection
The people named by Mr Kangwa as having been arrested include NRPUP presidential spokesperson George Chisanga, Patrick Mwansa, the husband of former President Edgar Lungu’s daughter Tasila Lungu, Bishop Trevor Mwamba, Simon Phiri, Richard Banda and Francis Mulenga.
In a related development, News Diggers reported that lawyer Jonas Zimba of Makebi Zulu Advocates was stopped by immigration officials while allegedly attempting to leave Zambia through the Victoria Falls border in Livingstone.
The reported developments follow a statement by Mr Mundubile in which he claimed that he, his family and other Tonse Alliance members had been taken from his Kabulonga residence by armed men in uniform.
Mr Mundubile said the men forced their way into the master bedroom, where he, his wife and Mutotwe Kafwaya were staying, and that shots were fired during the incident.
He later said they were taken to what he described as a “command centre” before being abandoned at an undisclosed location.
The government has given a different account of the incident, saying the security operation was linked to suspected militia activity and the possession of military-grade weapons. Reuters has separately reported that authorities said 11 opposition-linked individuals were arrested over alleged threats to state security, while Mr Mundubile described the raid on his home as a life-threatening attack.
The competing accounts have heightened political tensions in Zambia following the 13 August general election, with the authorities maintaining that the security operation is part of an investigation into a serious threat to national security.
The allegations against the opposition figures have not been established in court, and investigations are continuing.
-Nkanionline 2026
What are they running away from and leaving their followers leaderless? Is this story really true? The UN has no state it presides over to grant any person asylum. Since they’re both lawyers, both Mundubile and Zulu know that.