MWAMBA GOES FOR LAURA MITI AND REPORTS ZAMBIA TO UN

By BARNABAS ZULU FORMER ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba who is at the United Nations General Assembly has condemned Laura Miti’s reported call for his apprehension and extradition, arguing that Zambia’s growing international scrutiny stems from concerns about human rights and electoral governance rather than his criticism of President Hakainde Hichilema’s government. Responding to remarks attributed to Ms Miti during a 5FM interview, Mr Mwamba described her comments as “hateful” and “immature” and accused her of targeting him while overlooking allegations of abuses against government opponents. Ms Miti reportedly described Mr Mwamba as one of the most dangerous individuals opposing the government and called for his return to Zambia. Mr Mwamba said he was particularly disturbed by the reported extradition call because, according to him, Ms Miti knew about his complaints of alleged abduction and torture by members of the Zambia Police. He maintained that he had left Zambia out of fear for his safety and because he believed he would not receive a fair trial. His allegations of mistreatment have not been independently established in this report. Mr Mwamba questioned why Ms Miti had focused on his political activities instead of addressing concerns about political freedoms, alleged human-rights violations and the conduct of the August 13, 2026 elections. Criticism of government policies and allegations of corruption, he argued, should not automatically be treated as threats to the state. The exchange comes against a backdrop of scrutiny by international human-rights organisations and the European Parliament. Mr Mwamba argued that such international interventions demonstrated that concerns about Zambia could not reasonably be attributed to the activities of a single opposition figure. Meanwhile, Mr Mwamba says he is in New York to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly and raise concerns over Zambia’s shrinking democratic space, the erosion of the rule of law and post-election crisis that culminated into the killing of former Transport and Communications Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya and the arrest and detention of Brian Mundubile, his running mate Makebi Zulu and more than a dozen others on treason charges. Mr Mwamba, who served as Zambia’s ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) said he would use his presence at the UN to highlight what he described as violations of democratic and human rights in Zambia. “I’m rushing into New York. I’m attending the United Nations General Assembly,” Mr Mwamba said in a video message yesterday. He said the United Nations had played an important role in raising concerns over developments in Zambia, including arrests of opposition figures, the closure of courts and the death of Mr Kafwaya.

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