Bishops in Zambia Decry “rampant gassing of people, homes, institutions”

Terming the acts of gassing people “typical acts of terrorism,” the Catholic Bishops have decried, “As a nation we have reached such alarming levels of disrespect for human life and the destruction of property both private and public.”

They have bemoaned the loss of lives due to occasioned both by attacks but also by retaliation where “suspects have been subjected to mob justice in full view and participation of children and young people in committing such atrocities.”

“Over 10 people have died and an estimated 50 have been arrested in connection with cases of instant mob justice meted out on people suspected of orchestrating widespread gassing of people, fueling concerns of violence in Zambia,” The Southern Times has reported.

In the face of this state of things, the Bishops have, in their four-page statement sent to ACI Africa, provided a rafter of measures to address the unfortunate situation in their country.

“In the name of God, we call for an immediate end to the shedding of blood,” the Bishops stated in their February 21 communique and called on the members of the public not to take the law into their hands.

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“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty by the courts of law,” they stated.

Acknowledging the value of the youth and children in their country’s future, the Prelates appealed that this y

They advocated for safeguarding young people and children from inhuman and scary scenes stating that these should “no longer be subjected to witnessing and/or participating in the murder of suspects in cold blood nor used as tools of violence.”

Subjecting young minds to horrific acts, they said, “is tantamount to breeding a generation of citizens that are not going to respect the sanctity of human life.”

Further, the Bishops called for an end to “irresponsible recording, posting and sharing of graphic materials on social media to the unsuspecting public.”

“Every Zambian must uphold our traditional, religious and moral values with regard to the sacredness of human life and inviolability of human rights,” the Prelates stated in their nine-person letter addressed “to our dear Catholic faithful and people of good will.”

To the Political Leadership of the Southern Africa nation, the Bishops asked that they “denounce all forms of criminality and subversive activities in order to guarantee peace, tranquility and harmony.”

Referring to the country's opposition and some government officials pointing fingers at each other as to who are the gassing perpetrators, the Prelates asked for “objectivity and responsibility when commenting on matters of public interest.”

“Careless and irresponsible comments are bound to bring further anarchy and confusion,” the Bishops stated addressing themselves to the politicians in their country.

They urged the security agencies in Zambia to be “proactive in detecting and apprehending perpetrators of crime and ensuring the due process of the law is carried out and as a way of deterring criminal activities in our society.”

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To all those involved in the crimes, the Bishops said they “stop forthwith” and repent.

Meanwhile, following the violence in the country, some embassies including the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) have issued travel advisories to their citizens planning to visit the Southern Africa landlocked nation. 

On his part, the country’s President, Edgar Lungu ordered to tackle the worrisome situation in the country and to work with the police service to control the situation so it does not get out hand.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.