What is Your Govt’s Position on the Barotse Land Agreement secede – Kampyongo ask Vice President Mutale Nalumango

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What is Your Government’s Position on the Barotse Land Agreement secede – Kampyongo ask Vice President Madam Mutale W.K Nalumango

Today in Parliament

Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament Hon. Stephen Kampyongo today asked Vice President Madam Mutale Nalumango a very sensitive but important question on what is the New Dawns position over the barotse land secede move that has resurfaced following a letter from the leaders of Linyungandambo, a Lozi self-determination advocacy group that circulated in social media.

Hon. Kampyongo further stated that according to the establishment as penned down in the letter to the President it seemed the New Dawn Government had an agreement with on how the barotse land secede from Zambia will be dealt with.

A few days ago, the leaders of Linyungandambo, a Lozi self-determination advocacy group, published a letter dated 20 November, 2022, addressed to President Hakainde Hichilema, in which they seek a permanent solution to the abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964. In the letter they purport to accept the abrogation of the Agreement and seek to secede from Zambia.

This development is not new. In March 2012, for example, the Barotseland National Council (BNC), the highest decision-making body in the traditional Barotseland government, unanimously voted to secede from Zambia. The decision was premised on the fact that the Zambian government had unilaterally abrogated the Barotseland Agreement 1964 under which Barotseland agreed to proceed to Independence as part of Zambia.

The BNC took the view that the abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement by the Zambian government entitled it to repudiate its own obligations under the Agreement and freed it to pursue the course of self-determination. In the words of the BNC, “The people of Barotseland shall exercise their right to revert Barotseland to its original status as a sovereign nation, so that the people of Barotseland shall determine their political, cultural, social and economic development.” The BNC resolutions are, however, very clear that the decision to cede were premised on the Zambian government’s failure to honour its obligations under the Barotseland agreement. Honoring the agreement would presumably settle the dispute.

This seems to be the desire and secession is only to be resorted to in the instance that limited self-determination is not forthcoming. In a letter to President Chiluba in 1994, for example, Litunga Ilute Yeta emphatically states: “We are not seceding and we shall not secede from Zambia. However, we feel that government should respect and honour the terms and conditions of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964.”

However, in her response Vice President Mutale Nalumango said social media is full of things and that the New Dawn Government is studying the matter.

“The issue that there was a letter circulating I believe it’s social media? Where it was circulating Social media is full of things..as to which promises were made I don’t think I would stand and give an answer to that, I know that people have made promises including our late President Sata he made a promise to deal with it, we are also studying this, we are a new government we want to study but one thing that we are today is that we are a united country we are one Zambia one Nation that is what we are as a country today lol nothing has changed and if anything will change I have said it is under study, I Thankyou Madam Speaker”

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