Inspector General Graphel Musamba has directed police commanders in Shibuyunji, Livingstone and Luampa to arrest everyone involved in recent political violence, as the force also reviews its handling of a tear gas incident at a Mongu campaign rally.
By Zambian Economist Analyst
Inspector General of Police Graphel Musamba has ordered the arrest of suspects behind recent incidents of political violence, instructing commanding officers in Shibuyunji, Livingstone and Luampa to apprehend everyone involved and bring them before the courts without delay.
Musamba said political affiliation will not shield anyone from prosecution, warning that those responsible for the violence will face the law regardless of which party they support.
The Zambia Police Service has also opened a review of its operation in Mongu and Kalabo, where officers discharged tear smoke during a Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance campaign rally. In a statement, Musamba said the review would establish whether the operation followed the law and established policing standards, and would also examine reports that political supporters confronted officers during the incident.
With the country heading to the polls on August 13, Musamba called on political parties, candidates, supporters and the public to treat peace and security as a shared responsibility. He said the police service backs President Hakainde Hichilema’s position that violence, intimidation and lawlessness by any party or candidate will not be tolerated, and stressed that the law would be applied fairly and impartially.
Musamba also dismissed social media claims that someone died during the Mongu incident, saying no death was recorded, and urged the public to rely on official Zambia Police Service channels for verified information rather than unverified reports circulating online.
The intervention comes as concerns grow among businesses and investors about the risk that campaign-period unrest poses to the country’s political stability in the run-up to the vote. A police service seen to act evenhandedly across party lines, and a swift, credible correction of misinformation, both matter for the kind of predictable environment that markets watch closely in an election year.
Related: Hichilema Condemns Political Violence, Warns of “Full Consequences” for Offenders and Ballot Papers Arrive in Livingstone Ahead of August Polls.
