First published November 5, 2021

It is clear, Mr. President that you intend to follow the footsteps of your predecessors, particularly late President Kenneth Kaunda, to annihilate Barotseland and continue suppressing and oppressing the Barotse. We take it that you carefully arrived at this decision after consulting your legal advisors. We ask you to come to terms with the grim realities that the unitary state of Zambia is but an illusion. President Kaunda is not the founder but destroyer of the unitary state of Zambia. We don’t know of any other country whose government abrogated the agreement on which it was founded. Barotseland has been and continues to be a self-governing territory. We do not seek development from you or anyone else. In fact, the Zambia state came into being out of the Barotseland Agreement 1964. Mr. President, if you believe that Zambia has a legitimate claim over the territory of Barotseland, we challenge you to sign the PCA submission agreement immediately.