Zambia - November 2025

Political violence rose in November, after President Hakainde Hichilema was stoned at a public event, sparking two attacks on the political opposition by youth ‘cadre’ connected to Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND). The attack on Hichilema was reportedly carried out by disgruntled miners in the town of Chingola, whose stone throwing forced the President to abandon an address he was giving. It also led a UPND MP to threaten retaliatory action and declare a return of cadreism, a phenomenon in which party-affiliated youths are used by politicians to perpetrate interparty-political violence and that, until recently, was a feature of Zambian politics. Shortly afterwards, individuals wearing UPND party regalia stormed the offices of the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) party, forcefully entering the building and damaging property. In a separate incident, the PF’s acting president, Given Lubinda, was beaten and briefly abducted by suspected UPND cadre.     

Sources: British Broadcasting Corporation, News Diggers (1), Lusaka Times, News Diggers (2), Catholic Information Service for Africa, Journal of African Elections