Zambia Arrests 11, Including Lungu’s Son-In-Law And Opposition Candidate

Zambian police have arrested 11 people in Lusaka, including former President Edgar Lungu’s son-in-law Patrick Mwansa and opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile. Authorities said they seized military-grade weapons and ammunition during the operation and arrested suspected militia members, although no direct link was established between the weapons and the two prominent detainees. The suspects have been charged and will have access to their families and lawyers as investigations continue.

Zambian police have arrested 11 people in the capital, Lusaka, including former President Edgar Lungu’s son-in-law and an opposition presidential candidate, the government said Monday.
Among those detained were Patrick Mwansa, who is married to Lungu’s daughter Tasila, and Brian Mundubile, a presidential candidate of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Progress (NRPUP).
The arrests followed a police operation during which authorities said they recovered high-grade military weapons and ammunition.

POLICE ALLEGE MILITIA CONNECTIONS

Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa said some of those arrested had been under surveillance for several years.
He said the operation resulted in the seizure of restricted weapons and the arrest of people suspected of belonging to a militia, although he did not provide further details about the alleged group.
Other individuals reportedly fled the scene, and police were searching for them.
However, authorities did not say that the weapons were directly linked to either Mwansa or Mundubile.

OPPOSITION FIGURE AMONG THOSE DETAINED

The detention of Mundubile, an opposition presidential candidate, is likely to attract particular attention given Zambia’s political tensions ahead of the country’s elections.
Neither Mundubile’s NRPUP nor Lungu’s family has publicly commented on the arrests.
The government has not publicly detailed the specific charges against each of the 11 suspects.

SUSPECTS TO HAVE ACCESS TO LAWYERS

Kangwa said the people arrested had been formally charged and would be allowed to have access to their families and lawyers.
Authorities are expected to provide further details as investigations continue, particularly regarding the seized weapons, the alleged militia links and the circumstances surrounding the police operation.
The arrests add another layer to Zambia’s increasingly tense political environment, where security concerns and competition between the government and opposition have remained closely watched.