ZAMBIA: President Chiluba Urged To Be Fair With Coup Plotters

By Moyiga Nduru Reprint | | Print |

Moyiga Nduru

HARARE, Oct 29 1997 (IPS) - A top human rights activist Wednesday urged President Frederick Chiluba of Zambia to refrain from acts of ruthlessness when investigating a group of army officers who staged an attempted coup on Tuesday.

“Chiluba and his administration should not carry out witch hunting, but investigate the coup attempt thoroughly,” said Ngande Mwananjili, the director of Zambia’s human rights group Afronet.

He told the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) on Wednesday that witch hunting would not unearth the reasons for the coup.

The coup leader, Captain Steven Lungu announced in a dawn radio broadcast message Tuesday that the National Redemption Council had usurp power to “prevent the country’s slide into total chaos, criminality and corruption” under Chiluba.

Lungu and 20 renegade officers have been arrested for their part in the pustch, according to the Zambian authorities in the capital, Lusaka.

Lungu was apprehended at the ZNBC premises which he had seized to announce his takeover message to the nation.

Defence Minister Ben Mwila told journalists on Wednesday that one government soldier was killed during the incident, and that other rebel soldiers who took part in the plot were still at large.

He said security at the Mass Media Complex, home to the state- controlled news agency, information service, radio and television, would be tightened to avoid similar incidents from happening in the future.

Soon after the mutineers had been crushed on Tuesday, an apparently shaken Chiluba, who did not attend the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting in Edinburg, Scotland, warned that his government would take tough action against the coup plotters.

He said his administration would ensure that police and other law enforcement agents go about their job with little hindrance.

The coup has also been widely condemned in Southern Africa which has touted itself as a haven of stability in Africa.

“Southern Africa will not tolerate any military coups, even if they claim to be bringing back democracy,” said Zimbabwe’s deputy foreign minister, Nicholas Goche.

“We do not believe democratic governments can be overthrown by a few individuals, especially when they are from the army. Any changes of government should be directed by the ballot,” he was quoted as saying in the “The Herald”, a state-owned newspaper.

“We in this region (Southern Africa) will not allow such developments to take place,” he said.

South Africa’s deputy foreign minister Aziz Pahad said his country shared the same sentiment on military coups as those expressed by Zimbabwe.

“The days of coups in Africa are gone. We are also happy that the coup has failed,” he said.

Pahad was here attending bilateral talks between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Chiluba, 54, was re-elected in November 1996 for a new five year mandate. He was first elected in 1991, putting an end to Kenneth Kaunda’s 27 years of rule.

Fearing a comeback by Kaunda, Chiluba amended the constitution to bar the former leader from running for re-election, on the pretext that his parents were from Malawi, and therefore Kaunda was not a Zambian.

The move was criticised by the donors who suspended aid to Zambia, with a population of about 10 million people, in retaliation for Chiluba’s anti-democratic moves. His colleagues in Southern Africa were also unhappy with his decision to bar Kaunda from contesting in the general elections.

“He (Chiluba) has not endeared himself to a number of his colleagues in the region, but the last thing any of them would have wished for is to see Mr Chiluba being removed by soldiers. Regional stability is too important to the grouping and they have worked hard to maintain it,” said ‘The Herald’ in its editorial on Wednesday.

It said Africa had experienced too much chaos, suffering and bloodshed. “A lot of it very close to this region. Congo (Kinshasa), Congo (Brazaville) and Angola. All have suffered immensely, because democracy was trampled upon. Caught in the crossfire have been the most vulnerable in society — women, children and the elderly.

“If that hapenned in Zambia one can only imagine the social chaos and economic hardship it would rain on us for many years to come,” it said.

The paper urged Chiluba “to be firm but fair” in dealing with the coup plotters.