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Police raid Zambia opposition leader's home

Xinhua, July 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Police on Wednesday raided the home of a running mate to Zambia's leading opposition presidential candidate, throwing tear gas and arresting a number of his supporters.

The police raided the home of Geoffrey Mwamba, who is a running mate of main opposition presidential challenger Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) in next month's general elections.

The opposition leader was not at home when the incident happened as he is in the Copperbelt Province campaigning but his wife and other family members were in the house.

He said the police raided his home situated in northern Zambia's Kasama district in the early hours of Wednesday, breaking down doors and throwing tear gas.

"Dear friends, I am yet to establish the main reason for this barbaric act carried out by the police," he said on his Facebook page.

He said supporters of incumbent President Edgar Lungu had planned to attack his home after a rally held by the Zambian leader but that the opposition party's youth wing got wind of the plan and stayed overnight to keep vigil.

"However, early this morning at 5 hours my home was surrounded and raided, the UPND youth team has been rounded up and arrested, the police then broke down the doors of my home and threw tear gas in the house," he added.

Meanwhile, Hichilema has expressed concern over the raid and described it as another case of political persecution and the use of the police to serve partisan purposes.

"It is a great shame as we have been campaigning in the area peacefully and successfully for many weeks now. We await a proper response and account from the authorities," he said.

Pictures posted on social media show the extent of the raid with doors broken while tear gas canisters lay in some rooms.

The main opposition party has accused the ruling party of trying to stifle its campaigns ahead of next month's general elections through the use of the police.

Recently, the police raided the party's mobilization center in Lusaka, the country's capital and obtained some documents. Endit