The President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema has appointed new military chiefs days after taking the oath of office.
The newly-elect leader also relieved all police commissioners of their duties and substituted them.
In a televised address to the nation, Hichilema yesterday declared the appointment of new army and air force chiefs.
“I am relieving all commissioners of police with immediate effect,” he added, without providing reasons for the replacements.”
Hichilema also asked police to carry out thorough checks before apprehending suspects, stressing that “no one should be arrested before investigations are concluded”.
This comes barely a week after Hichilema promised democratic reforms, investor-friendly economic policies, better debt management as well as “zero tolerance” to corruption under his rule.
Former Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu was accused of leading a “brutal crackdown” on disagreement.
During his governance, police violence saw the death of at least five people.
Hichilema also spent four months in a maximum-security jail for treason charges.
The charges were later dropped.
By Everlyne Bosibori
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