President Lungu Deploys Army Ahead Of Elections

President Edgar Lungu has deployed members of the military to support the Zambia Police Service in keeping the peace ahead of general elections on 12th August. 

Announcing the decision on Sunday, the president said soldiers had already been deployed to Lusaka and would be sent to other parts of the country if necessary. 

“Maintaining law and order is a daily chore of the police, but sometimes they need help from other security wings,” Lungu said.

It follows concerns over increasing levels of political violence in the capital. On Friday, two members of the Patriotic Front were killed in what the Human Rights Commission described as a “brutal” act. The commission has urged Zambians to be more alert to the impacts of drug abuse in increasing violent crime and has called for a more robust national rehabilitation programme. 

Reacting to the deployment of troops on the ground, UPND Alliance presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema praised the military for its record in protecting Zambians’ democratic freedoms.

“Our Forces have an impeccable history in defence of constitutionalism since our independence, and through transitional periods in 1991 and 2011,” he wrote on social media.

The opposition leader urged citizens to remain calm and trust that “our men and women in uniform will carry out their duties with the utmost diligence, dedication and impartiality, to allow for free, fair and transparent elections in the coming days. 

HH has made repeated calls for peace in the lead up to this month’s elections, urging his supporters as well as those of the PF to denounce violence. 

Last month he was one of several political leaders to attend a peace conference in Lusaka hosted by the three church mother bodies. There he signed a treaty promising to uphold peace and fairness at the upcoming elections. The event was notable for the absence of President Lungu, who sent PF Secretary General Davies Mwila in his place while he was out inspecting development projects.