Amnesty International calls it a cynical ploy by President Edgar Lungu to silence his opposition.

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Lusaka’s main market was razed on Tuesday in an arson attack.

President Edgar Lungu says it was politically motivated and premediated.

No-one was killed or injured in what Lungu calls an attempt to make the country ungovernable.

Police say some people were planning to vandalize installations like bridges and power stations.

Political tension tears at one of Africa’s more stable and functional democracies.

Opposition leader Hakainde Hichelema, who ran close to Lungu in a bitterly fought election last year, has been held since April with five party colleagues.

He’s charged with treason for blocking Lungu’s motorcade

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