Zambia’s post-election tensions have intensified after security forces arrested 11 people, including senior opposition figures, and seized weapons and ammunition in a raid that authorities claim uncovered an alleged plot to overthrow the government by force.
The arrests came as the country awaited the final outcome of Thursday’s presidential election, with opposition candidate Brian Mundubile trailing incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema in the latest results released by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
According to the government’s top civil servant, Patrick Kangwa, the individuals arrested were allegedly linked to military plans involving foreign nationals, illegal military training camps and preparations for an armed insurrection.
Kangwa stated the suspects were found in possession of a high-grade military weapons, ammunition and other materials allegedly intended for use against the state.
The government has presented the raid as a major national security operation, arguing that the alleged activities posed a serious threat to Zambia’s constitutional order at a particularly sensitive moment for the country.
However, the incident has also generated competing accounts, with Mundubile, the leading opposition challenger to Hichilema, describing the raid as an attempt on his life and alleging that people around him were shot.
The opposition leader was reportedly found at the scene of the raid in Lusaka, although authorities have disputed aspects of his account and the circumstances surrounding his presence there.
The allegations come against a backdrop of heightened political tension following Zambia’s presidential election, in which Mundubile had earlier claimed victory and raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the voting and counting process.
With results from 105 of the country’s 226 constituencies reported over the weekend, Hichilema was leading with 54.82% of the declared vote, compared with 43% for Mundubile. The figures placed the incumbent on course for a second term if he maintains more than half of the national vote.
Mundubile, however, has questioned the credibility of the electoral process, alleging irregularities involving ballot boxes and claiming that military personnel had been involved at tallying centres.
His campaign has also raised concerns over reports from different parts of the country, while authorities have maintained that the election was conducted peacefully overall.
The Electoral Commission temporarily suspended the counting process after reporting violence against polling staff and the theft of marked ballot papers. The suspension was lifted later that day after officials concluded that the security threat had been contained.
As the country await the final results while the government attempts to contain allegations of electoral misconduct and opposition concerns over the conduct of the vote.
The government has denied claims that the electoral process was compromised, while preliminary assessments from observers described election day as largely peaceful and orderly.
Mundubile Disputes Election Process
Mundubile’s allegations about the election have added another layer of uncertainty to the political situation.
The opposition candidate has accused authorities of irregularities involving ballot boxes and alleged military involvement at tallying centres. He also claimed at one point that he was interrogated by Zambian army officers over two videos he had released.
Mundubile further alleged that he was assaulted while in custody, an accusation that authorities denied.
He also accused Tanzania of sending individuals to interfere in Zambia’s election, a claim that the Tanzanian government firmly rejected as false and unfounded.
The allegations have emerged as Hichilema seeks a second term after taking office in 2021. His administration has overseen debt restructuring and improvements in several macroeconomic indicators, but many Zambians continue to struggle with high living costs and economic pressures.
Hichilema’s strongest challenger has been Mundubile, a former government chief whip under the late President Edgar Lungu and leader of the Tonse Alliance. The opposition campaign has drawn heavily on concerns about economic hardship, democratic freedoms and what it describes as increasing government pressure on dissenting voices.
The political rivalry has also been shaped by the legacy of Lungu, whose death in 2025 did not end the tensions between his political camp and Hichilema’s administration.
Mundubile’s political alliance was closely associated with Lungu, while the former president’s family and supporters have remained influential within opposition politics.
The election campaign consequently carried not only an economic and governance dimension but also the weight of a continuing political struggle between rival camps.
Security forces in Zambia have already been deployed in response to disturbances that interrupted the counting process. According to the Electoral Commission of Zambia, the violence affected only a limited number of polling stations and was subsequently brought under control.
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