By Sara Imutowana Yeta II
THE ARMY COMMANDER’S STATEMENT MAY LEAD TO GENOCIDE AGAINST TONGAS AND LAND HIM AT THE HAGUE
When you are a leader especially of an institution such as the Zambia Army designed to protect people’s lives, and defend the Constitution and the Republic, you need to show the ability to speak coherently so that your statements are not susceptible to misinterpretation.
You can never be a good leader or Army Commander if you lack clearness or lucidity in one’s communication.
The fact that General Sikazwe’s statement made whilst in Kasama has been censured by his fellow Generals, Junior officers and the civilian population shows that his statement is ridden with ambiguity therefore unfortunate and dangerous to have come from the Army Commander.
If we happen to experience violence during elections that will overwhelm the police we all know to be partisan, then the Army comes in to support the police as General Sikazwe stated, it means that the Army will carry out a partisan operation making his statement partisan and dangerous.
Otherwise, how can a blatantly partisan police work together with the Army that is non-partisan? Will that not be a recipe for war unless the Army is also partisan or the Army will stop the police from being partisan which cannot happen easily because the police is infiltrated by cadres?
If the Army will support the partisan police and many people are injured or killed, General Sikazwe should be indicted in the International Court of Justice for using the Army or State institution which is mandated to protect Zambia in a partisan manner to cause anarchy and undermine the democratic processes of electing leaders.
This is one of the problems in General Sikazwe’s statement that has divided the Army and citizens.
So, if General Sikazwe was intelligent and wise, he would have made a clarification on his statement about supporting the police that is known to be partisan.
As Zambians, we are the owners of any Zambia Army equipment and if the Army acts on partisan lines to undermine democracy and injure or kill people, General Sikazwe must be taken to the Hague like any other criminal.
If Army Generals from powerful countries can be held accountable for abusing State institutions, what about General Sikazwe from a third world country?
What is also worrying is that General Sikazwe has been accused of campaigning for the sitting regime in barracks to retain the sitting regime in order to keep his job.
To make the matter complex, General Sikazwe is “Bemba”, and it is not known how much he subscribes to Chishimba Kambwili’s vitriolic tribalism against Tongas he views as synonymous to UPND supporters and sympathisers sanctioned by Lungu the Commander-in Chief the person General Sikazwe reports to.
Besides, General Sikazwe is a nephew to Freedom Sikazwe, former Presidential Affairs Minister, who is Lungu’s trustee.
All these issues considered, is it possible for General Sikazwe to be professional in supporting the partisan police not to think of tribalism being fanned by his PF tribesmates against Tongas or his own job or interest of his uncle Freedom Sikazwe and his associates?
As things stand, nothing is known about General Sikazwe’s stance on tribalism and ability to understand that his work requires him to transcend partisan interests apart from his ambiguous statement.
Going by Kambwili’s tribal sentiments against UPND as a party for Tongas, killing UPND supporters and sympathisers by the partisan police supported by the Army will be tantamount to genocide against Tongas which seems is what PF Bemba tribalists have been fanning for many years.
Therefore, the international community should closely follow what is unfolding in Zambia because General Sikazwe’s statement coupled with the tribal narrative of his PF tribesmates that has deeply injured many citizens especially Tongas may be a match stick for genocide against Tongas who according to Kambwili are all UPND supporters and sympathisers.
Logically, it means that Tongas are contesting for leadership against the current regime therefore any action by the partisan police on Tongas supported by the Army is nothing but genocide.
Unless General Sikazwe clarifies what he meant by saying that the Army is on standby with a plan to support the police we all know to be partisan, the international community should take keen interest in what the Army Commander said and what is happening in Zambia as this may be a well-planned strategy to finally commit genocide against Tongas that PF Bemba tribalists have been openly fueling unbatted for years by using the Army Commander from their region.