Zambia opposition leader held in treason probe: police

National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) presidential candidate Brian Muntayalwa Mundubile gives an interview to Agence France-Presse at Hot FM radio station studio in Lusaka, on August 12, 2026. [AFP]

The Zambian opposition leader who was runner-up in this month's disputed presidential election was taken into custody Thursday over treason allegations, police said.

Opposition leader Brian Mundubile surrendered to police on Thursday after two weeks in hiding following a summons over an alleged national security threat, state media reported.

President Hakainde Hichilema won 60 percent of the vote and is due to be sworn in for a second term next week, amid uncertainty over a legal challenge to his victory.

Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu were "interviewed by investigators and are currently in police custody", police said in a statement.

It said they took statements from the pair "in connection with an alleged offence of treason".

Mundubile took refuge the day after the August 13 election at an international human rights organisation after police raided his home.

Former cabinet minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot and killed during the operation, which saw 11 people arrested. Police alleged they were involved in insurgency or militia activity.

Mundubile has dismissed the allegations as fabricated.

While this month's vote was largely peaceful, international observers said it was marred by opposition claims of intimidation, arrests, abductions and violence.

Court closure

Mundubile, who scored around 38 percent in the vote, had vowed to challenge the result but Zambia closed down its entire judiciary on Monday, the last day for filing an objection, citing "security reasons".

The Constitutional Court said Tuesday it had not received any petition challenging the election outcome, clearing the way for Hichilema's inauguration.

However, Chief Justice Mumba Malila said he had received a petition from a member of the public on his private email address.

He called the submission "highly irregular" but said he had referred it to the Constitutional Court for consideration.

The timing of the abrupt closure of the courts drew criticism from legal and rights groups.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it was "without credible explanation".

"Measures that effectively deny the opposition crucial access to the courts to challenge the conduct and validity of the presidential election are a blow to the administration of law, transparency, and due process in Zambia," HRW director Allan Ngari said.

Opposition claims

Hichilema entered the race as the clear favourite after steering Zambia -- Africa's second-largest copper producer -- through a major economic turnaround and restructuring its debt.

His first term was also marked by concerns over Zambia's political space, with opposition parties and civil society groups accusing his government of curbing dissent.

A lawyer by profession, Mundubile became the main opposition challenger after a fractured anti-government camp rallied around him through the Tonse Alliance, a coalition of opposition parties seeking to defeat Hichilema.

The 55-year-old was a close ally of the president in power before Hichilema, the late Edgar Lungu, and served as a minister in his administration.

Rights groups and election observer missions have said the post-election dispute has tarnished Zambia's democratic reputation.

Every change of president there since the return to multiparty politics in 1991 has been achieved through elections.