Zambian opposition leader Brian Mundubile has been charged with treason after weeks of political turmoil following the country's disputed presidential election. Mundubile, who came second to incumbent Hakainde Hichilema, had disputed the result and gone into hiding at a United Nations building in Lusaka after a deadly security raid, before being arrested on Thursday and formally charged on Saturday night, according to his lawyer.

Mundubile won 38% of the vote to Hichilema's 60% in the 13 August election. The day after the poll, security forces raided a property linked to Mundubile, killing a former cabinet minister and arresting several other politicians, prompting Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu to seek refuge at the UN building; they were later handed over under presidential pressure. Seventeen others, including Zulu, have also been charged with treason, and the opposition says it was unable to legally challenge the election result after courts were sealed off before the filing deadline. Hichilema is due to be sworn in for a second term on 1 September, while Zambia's Human Rights Commission has demanded accountability over people whose whereabouts remain unknown following the post-election security operations.