#SNAPSHOT IN HISTORY: MWAMBA LUCHEMBE 1990 COUP ATTEMPT
ON July 1, 1990, Lieutenant Christopher Mwamba Luchembe and other soldiers from the Zambia Army staged a coup d’état attempt during the one-party state era in Zambia under President Kenneth Kaunda.
Luchembe announced on state radio that President Kenneth D. Kaunda had been toppled in a coup following five days of anti-government violence.
Ten armored personnel carriers and trucks bearing armed troops rushed to the Mass Media complex after the broadcasts began. The coup lasted no more than 6 hours and took place between 3 and 9 am
Although Lieutenant Luchembe’s coup attempt against the then President Kenneth Kaunda failed, it weakened Kaunda’s political power, which was already shaky after three days of rioting.
At least 23 people were killed in clashes with paramilitary police and soldiers. It was Zambia’s worst urban violence since independence.
A week later, President Kaunda announced that a national referendum on whether to restore multi-party government would be held on Oct. 17,1990.
Mwebantu
What’s the purpose or intention of this story? What are you telling us? Explain yourself, otherwise it doesn’t mean anything to the majority Zambians.
Ka story akakene chapwa fye ififine?