DEFENCE Minister Geoffrey Mwamba has assured the nation that the situation in Western Province is under control and calm following reports of about 900 people among them ex-commandants who have allegedly been recruited into a group calling itself the Barotse Liberation Army (BLA)
And Mr Mwamba and his Home Affiars counterpart Edgar Lungu yesterday held a closed door with King Litunga of the Lozi people at the palace discussing pertinent issues.
Mr Mwamba said the defence forces were alert and on ground to monitor and verify information on the security situation in the province following some reports of ex-defence service personnel being recruited by BLA.
Speaking to journalists in Mongu yesterday shortly after a closed door meeting with service chiefs and other senior Government, Mr Mwamba said the situation in the province was under control.
Mr Mwamba and Mr Lungu were accompanied by service chiefs and other senior Government officials were on a two days tour on fact finding mission on reports of BLA recruiting ex-service personnel.
“Government has received intelligence reports that BLA which is a new movement has recruited closely to over 800 men especially the youths and some ex-commandants. This information seems to be accurate ,” Mr Mwamba said
He said Government would also reinforce more defence personnel from the existing numbers in the province it was discovered the reports of BLA recruitments were also accurate.
President Michael Sata on Friday disclosed that over 900 people among them ex defence service personnel and poachers have been recruited into the BLA in an attempt to disturb peace in the country.
The President also directed service chiefs to immediately dispatch troops to the province to deal with the clandestine negative ‘army force’.
Mr Mwamba said the security wings were currently verifying the intelligence reports on recruitment exercise and would ensure those behind the exercise were dealt accordingly.
And Mr Mwamba and Mr Lungu held a closed door meeting with the Litunga at his palace in Limulunga yesterday.
Mr Mwamba said the meeting which lasted for close to an hour “went on well” and was meant to inform the Litunga about their mission to the province.
“The meeting went on very excerpt that I cant disclose what we have just discussed,” he said.
Ok we are watching and listening
Ba Lusaka times what is ‘ex-commandant’ mhhhh iyo kwena. The minister also is contradicting himself, he says the information on recruitment is accurate but again says they are trying to verify the information.
This government of the didn’ts by the didn’ts is an alarmist government. Security issues should be treated with high level of maturity, professionalism & sensetivity. ” The information seems to be accurate” what an ambrancement to mother Zambia’s integrity. Pf is taking us on a fools ride.
Let us accept it we are fools no one is taking us for a fool.
Ain’t anything unique about this.Afterall about 2/3’rds of all countries have some separatist movement.Even USA has puerto rico wanting out,U.K has scotland wanting to split,Japan has Ryukyu,Spain has Catalonia,Angola has Cabinda,Senegal has Casamance and TZ has zanzibar wanting out.Zambia won’t be the 1st country to break apart and we won’t cry over the loss of Barotseland.
BUT WE FEAR THAT DUE TO POVERTY THESE PEOPLE FROM B/LAND WILL START TERRORISING OUR PEOPLE FOR FOOD, EMPLOYMENT AND WILL BRING WARS AND START EXTENDING THEIR BOUNDARIES. WE DONT WANT THAT. AND BECAUSE WE LOVE THEM, WE DONT WANT THEM TO GO ON A PATH OF SELF DESTRUCTION.
@ Chisenga. There you go again. Zambia is a poor country not only Barotseland. Luapula, Barotseland, Northern Province have poverty levels ranging from 79% to 80.4% in that order. Poverty levels in NW provinces are around 75% . Eastern, Central and Southern are 60% or the national average. You should give a better reason why Zambia should maintain its current unity. Stupi.d and spiteful reasoning won’t do when the basically the whole country is a mess.
You are one out of million Mister. God bless you.
So you have seen what is going on in Sudan, Mali, DRC, Uganda and Nigerian ? and you would love some of that action to happen in Zambia?? We still have loved ones in that country and we would like to see peace prevail ! So Sata, since you brought this volatile eruption when you lied and back stubbed the Lozi people during your election campaign…..FIX THIS SITUATION AMICABLY !!!
GBM you are embarrassed to admit that you and Sata are Kachepas. Tell your relative to calm down for God’s sake. A mature and more level headed President will have first and privately given instructions to security wings to go and establish the veracity of these reports. Unfortunately the guy currently in State House is not Head of State material. It is the same with the alleged situation on the DRC/Luapula border. The Guy in State House has President Kabila’s phone number. He also knows that there is a civil war in DRC. So who is GBM going to give warning to, DRC govt or rebels?
Sata did not DISCLOSE anything. He ALLEGED or CLAIMED. Sata should PROVE this very serious allegation he’s made. Failure to which he should voluntarily step down or be impeached. We need honour and respect for that office. And this can only be achieved when the occupant of that office treats it as such. Sata has the exact number of people who have been recruited to the so called militia. And he should definitely be able to attach faces to these numbers. This is a very serious matter and those who make the accusations such as this must pay regardless of the position they hold in office! Zambia deserves better!
You my friend are an *****! What makes you think a rightfully elected president would step down because of his claims that there is an uprising militia in the country?
It seems you use more of your Anus to think than your chicken brains! If you think the intel provided to the president is fake, come to western province and feel the heat! No law abiding citizen is feeling safe walking around after 18Hrs cause of these Barotse fucckks!
You see all is in order in western province.Ba Sata please stop mis informing the nation first it was about missing gold at DEC and scans at Nakonde ZRA.
The movement has actually admitted doing so .Please read the : barotsepost.com
What
Of the Mailoni brothers?
Indeed, my brethren…what of those…
GBM lied. And he’s never been held accountable for the assassination lies he screamed to the nation about someone paying money to retired Generals to snuff out the Head of State. Honestly, Zambia is becoming a joke everyday that passes. In a civilized country this kapompa salad wouldn’t be Defence Minister or indeed hold any political position for making serious accusations like this. Zambia deserves better!
Dear Zambians you should start demanding honesty from your leaders. A leader’s word should be his honour. So honestly who can believe what comes out of the mouths of leaders like these?
”President Michael Sata on Friday disclosed that over 900 people among them ex defence service personnel and poachers have been recruited into the BLA in an attempt to disturb peace in the country.
The President also directed service chiefs to immediately dispatch troops to the province to deal with the clandestine negative ‘army force’…………….Ba Sata instead of holding the press conference you are busy alaming the nation!!!
There is no smoke without fire. Follow the barotse post and you can have no doubt that what Sata said is valid. The authors of barotse post are the most careless lot, they don’t mind infaming tension in Zambia. These author carry separatist messages day and day out. They need to be appropriately guided. They are instigators of trouble, they fan separatist sentiments. What a shame they don’t depict any developmental issues for Western Province! All they write is separation messages, no wonder the recruitment of thr so called defenders, all meant for separatist stance. Deal with this issue firmly or they go on diverting from developmental issues thT people need. Never trust Sinyinda and his group!
Floyd Chitalu, whats your comment on Texas. You seem to be educated. Whats your comment on Puerto Rico. What s your comment on Catalonia. Whats your comment on Scotland. Whats your comment on Casamance in Senegal, Cabinda in Angola. Read Tumbuka Prides comment below and be educated. I think Tumbukas a li na zo nzeru ku cila a mbili pano.
Just because there is trouble somewhere so there must be trouble in Zambia. It shouldn’t workout that way. We are a united country. We are poor in many parts of the country. We should just harnes working together as a country, as a people of Zambia. Separationism should not be out of jealous, if that one wins then we spoil everything! No.
Floyd Chitalu, You have greatly disappointed me. I was expecting a real discourse on the examples above. So there is trouble in UK over Scotland?
I hope Gbm and Sata are also spiritually prepared.Those chaps are bad.They should ask Rb how he was tormented every night after the mongu shooting.They had to bring a you know who from south Africa to handle issues.
No.14 @ Beerman lungu (Home affairs). That is just scare mongering. Witchcraft has never produced sensible apart from inward backwardness. Witchcarft has never ever brought about any tangible developmental substance apart from killing people, scaring them and always backwards, deep in secret, in the dark and at night. Witchcraft has never taken us anywhere since time in memorial, no wonder the whites who came with science were and are still able to manage and control us, politically, financially, socially, etc and where is wichtcraft – in the dark forever and ever. Soldiers and Machine guns can easily flatted the hopes of witch characters. Try it and heads will be buried in the sands. Don’t go that route. Others are using drones to fish out bad characters.
Do you sleep with RB?. You’re a very sick person. Rather than the rubbish you are attributing the lack of sleep , haven’t you thought for a moment that this could have been due to a troubled conscience for killing and maiming people who did no harm to anyone?
@9. Floyd Chitalu. Really? Where are the two Generals who were paid to assassinate the President? Where are the Tongas who were killing Bembas in Southern Province? Where are Thandiwe Banda’s hotels and apartment blocks in East Africa? This government of yours from the guy in state house to a cadre like you lack credibility. It is very difficult to take you seriously. You are liars!
The messages by the Barotse Post suggest a lot for anyone. Follow them on facebook. Its not my words. I am just reflecting on what they write, that this could be one of the many other sources that Sata is basing his pronouncements on. There is a lot that has been said by the Sinyinda separationists. Unless you have not read.
AM JUST WONDERING WHY THE PRESIDENT HAD TO ALARM THE NATION IF THINGS ACCORDING TO MWAMBA ARE UNDER CONTROL, AND WHAT HAS AMAZED ME IS THAT, IT HAS ONLY TAKEN HOURS TO NORMALIZE THE SITUATION IN BAROTSE. HOW POSSIBLE, SOMEONE IS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH SOMEWHERE. LET US BE SERIOUS PLEASE, THIS IS NOT A MONKEY PARK BUT A NATION WITH NOBLE PEOPLE.
Wait for that bullet up yo arse before yu know these issues are serious
Leave GBM alone!!!! he is courageous enough to visit WP and assure as that everything is fine.
Viva GBM
Zambia is a peaceful country and we should be thankful to God for it. We live in a globalized world where ethnicity doesn’t apply anymore. Tell me, who has ever succeeded by being self reliant? He who wants war will be the first to receive the bullet.
The president speaks hrough his anus, i mean ku munyero watuvi, no thinking at all. GBM is right right the situation is normal, there has never been unnormal situation in Western Province like in Muchinga, you are chasing wind
Mr. Ministart start with Kaluwe (KK would have said stoopid fuus! to him and all those they organise)
No.12 @ Beerman lungu (Home affairs). That is just scare mongering. Witchcraft has never produced sensible apart from inward backwardness. Witchcarft has never ever brought about any tangible developmental substance apart from killing people, scaring them and always backwards, deep in secret, in the dark and at night. Witchcraft has never taken us anywhere since time in memorial, no wonder the whites who came with science were and are still able to manage and control us, politically, financially, socially, etc and where is wichtcraft – in the dark forever and ever. Soldiers and Machine guns can easily flatted the hopes of witch characters. Try it and heads will be buried in the sands. Don’t go that route. Others are using drones to fish out bad characters.
These guys are just a bunch of useless people who have nothing to do. They think they can push their luck very far, but what they dont know is the fact they will not win the war they want to start.
Guys just work hard and stop this nonsense you are plotting…shaaaa.
Peace and Prosperity to mother zambia.
“…held a closed door with…” AND “…senior Government, Mr Mwamba…”. THIS ARTICLE LIKE IN ALL LT ARTICLES IA FULL OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS. I HAVE PIN-POINTED SOME BUT THERE ARE NUMEROUS MORE ERRORS. LT, HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOUR READERSHIP. DON’T GIVE US ROTTEN NEWS. SPELL AND GRAMMAR-CHECK YOUR ARTICLES B4 BRINGING THEM TO THE WORLD.
we just adopted eglish
Chris Katongo is on holiday, send him Western province or he can be Kachingwe’s bodyguard.
The real serious problem here is that of contradictory statements between the head of state on one hand and his defence minister on the other. Ever since the PF took charge it has become very difficult to believe what they say. One wonders if they ever hold cabinet meetings where they should agree to say one thing and one thing only especially on sensitive security issues.
I believe the president has to convene press conferences where he can answer questions from the press on behalf of the people to clarify the state of the nation.
BLA will soon have to BLAh BLAh BLAh…
PF and Zambian Compromised PF army scared of Poachers.
Has Zambia Army ever fought a war? Just asking.They have failed to nail Mailoni Brothers what more armed “Poachers”
Haha,let Barotseland break away.What have we gained from the failed nation of zambia anyway?No development and we’re used like TP just during election time.We need to send consultants to learn from Darfur,from Basque country,from East Timor,Eritrea,from Quebec and from Kurdistan on how to run an effective separatist movement.Lots of people want to split from their countries and the examples above prove we’re not alone.Long live Barotseland and its fighters against zambian injustice.
So sorry to read about trouble in Western Provonce – once my place of living and working. I hope for the best. Let there be peace