Hakainde Hichilema is re-elected as President of Zambia and the Nigerian army announces the outcome of its operations against terrorism

The Electoral Commission of Zambia announced, on Tuesday, that President Hakainde Hichilema had won a second term after winning about 60 percent of the votes in the elections that took place last week.

The result was largely expected, as Hichilema, who has been in power since 2021, faced competition from 13 candidates led by a former regional minister in his first attempt to reach the presidency.

Mwangala Zalumis, head of the Electoral Commission of Zambia, said that former minister Brian Mondubile, 55, who entered the race in May, received about 38 percent of the votes.

She added that the results of five electoral districts out of 226 had not yet been counted, but explained that “the remaining results are unlikely to materially affect the overall outcome of the elections.”

The August 13 elections were marred by opposition accusations of fraud, and vote counting was suspended nationwide following attacks on election officials and the theft of ballot papers.

Today (Monday), the Nigerian Army announced the outcome of its military operations against terrorist groups in various regions of the country, confirming that more than 160 terrorists were killed in these operations, which were concentrated in the north of the country.

The army said in a statement that the Niger State Air Force achieved “major success” in its strikes against terrorist strongholds in the Sangiku and Baba-Duka areas of Mariga last week.

Major General Michael Onoja confirmed that initial reports indicated that about 120 bodies and 300 motorcycles were found in the area, with military assessments of the results continuing on the ground.

The government in Zambia announced that the police arrested a number of the most prominent opposition leaders on the eve of the elections on charges of threatening state security, which the opposition party described as “misleading and completely false.”