
Forum for Leadership Search Zambia has called on Government to declare the Barotse Freedom Movement (BFM) a terrorist organisation and must with immediate effect de-register the organisation.
Forum For Leadership Search Executive Director Edwin Lifwekelo said it was very evident from activities perpetrated by the movement that it was a clear indication of what he described as a terrorist grouping prepared to sacrifice the lives of Zambians.
Mr. Lifwekelo explained that any activity of the Barotse Freedom Movement must be declared treasonable and that the culprits arrested must be dealt with under the treasonable act to stop future offenders.
This is contained in a press statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
Mr. Lifwekelo pointed out that violence that occurred in Western Province recently had the potential to ignite a civil war in the country.
“The Registrar of Society has a lot of explaining to do on how and why such an organisation was registered in Zambia in the first place when the freedom that Zambia enjoys was fought at great cost 46 years ago”, he said.
He stated that the Barotse Agreement does not fit into modern Zambia and peace loving Zambians and genuine Lozi speaking people must reject such a movement.
He explained that Western Province does not have the economic base to be independent from the rest of Zambia.
Mr. Lifwekelo accused some sections of the media and some frustrated politicians of wanting to use the Barotse agreement for political mileage.
He added that any support for the Barotse Freedom Movement would bore consequences too ghastly to contemplate if handled with kids gloves.
In a related development, Forum for Progressive Politics (FPP) has condemned the violence being perpetrated by advocates of the restoration of the Barotse Agreement in Mongu.
[pullquote]Mr. Kafumbo challenged the Barotse Patriotic Front (BPF) leader Mutangelwa Imasiku to tell the nation of the boundaries of the land being claimed saying that demands were being made that portions of land comprised Central, Copperbelt, Lusaka, Northern and Southern Province.[/pullquote]
FPP Secretary General Charles Kafumbo described the tearing and burning of the national flag by the advocates as treason.
And Mr Kafumbo has advised Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata to disassociate himself from the BPF because his recent utterences of restoring Barotse lands to the Barotse people was a clear indication that BPF was a wing of the opposition party.
Mr. Kafumbo challenged the Barotse Patriotic Front (BPF) leader Mutangelwa Imasiku to tell the nation of the boundaries of the land being claimed saying that demands were being made that portions of land comprised Central, Copperbelt, Lusaka, Northern and Southern Province.
He said these five provinces totaled 35 tribes adding that this was half of Zambia’s native 73 tribes and that the chiefs of the respective lands were not part of the Barotse land.
Mr. Kafumbo urged Mr. Imasiku to restrain from acts of treasonable behaviour if peace was to be upheld in the country.
On advice to the PF leader, the FPP Secretary General said his organisation wanted Mr Sata to condemn the riots currently taking place in Western Province especially the one that happened last Saturday where Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) leader Charles Milupi was attacked and stoned by BPF cadres.
He said his organisation supported Government efforts to maintain law and order in Mongu and bring perpetrators to book.
[pullquote]He said these five provinces totaled 35 tribes adding that this was half of Zambia’s native 73 tribes and that the chiefs of the respective lands were not part of the Barotse land.[/pullquote]
In July this year, the Barotse Royal Establishment in its submissions to the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) expressed grief that the provisions of the Barotseland Agreement had not been considered in the Draft Constitution and among others proposed to NCC and Government to consider acknowledging the Barotse Agreement to be the instrument by which the unitary State is constituted and outlined a number of articles that BRE was unhappy about.
Meanwhile, Mr Kafumbo has sent a message of quick recovery to the PF leader’s wife Dr. Kaseba who is currently undergoing treatment in South Africa.
Dr. Kaseba was evacuated to South Africa on Sunday for specialist treatment after experiencing chest pains and high blood pressure.
ZANIS