Below is an article published by The Barotseland Post

Barotseland’s independence claim should not be confused with Zambia’s United Party for National Development, UPND, disputed loss of successive elections, Barotseland’s main independence movement, Linyungandambo has advised.

Linyungandambo’s national information officer, Mr. Lubinda Kunangela, has said that whereas it was understandable that members of Zambia’s main opposition UPND were currently frustrated with recent presidential election outcomes in Zambia, Barotseland’s claim for independence was a separate matter not to be confused with UPND’s frustrations arising from Zambia electioneering.

“Barotseland's on-going independence claims arose from the fact that the Zambian Government had practically and unilaterally terminated the Barotseland Agreement 1964 using its parliament without consultation from the Barotse State Party. As the whole world may now know, the 1964 agreement was the only link that brought the two nations together, and its termination consequently breaks the union. All efforts to restore the said union treaty proved futile until its abrogation was formally accepted through the Barotse National Council (BNC) of 2012. As such, this matter should not be confused with the UPND's disputed loss of presidential elections. UPND wants to rule Zambia, and Linyungandambo does not participate in Zambian politics; it is purely dealing with matters relating to Barotseland independence and governance,” Mr. Kunangela advised.

Mr. Kunangela further said that the aims and objectives of the UPND as a Zambian political party were very well known, and had nothing to do with Barotseland independence, and therefore, Lozis who sympathized with both UPND and Barotseland causes should eventually make up their minds to support one or the other because the two have separate conflicting agendas.”

Mr. Kunangela has further noted that, owing to apparent electoral divide in all recent Zambian elections along the historical borders of Barotseland/North Western Rhodesia on one hand, and North Eastern Rhodesia on the other, many people were now talking about uniting the Barotseland/North Western Rhodesia region in joint independence claim.

Mr. Lubinda, however, cautioned that such a claim would need to be subjected to popular consensus building mechanisms, rather than assumptions based on social media postings.

“Remember that before Barotseland declared independence in March 2012, it undertook popular consensus building processes; firstly the Zambian government sponsored Rodger Chongwe Commission of Inquiry and then another national consensus building mechanism through the Barotse National Council (BNC), both of which unanimously agreed to officially accept the abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 and immediately institute formal steps for Barotseland independence.”

He further, reiterated that Barotseland’s present on-going independence claim did not include all of Zambia’s Southern, Central and North-western provinces because these regions did not participate in the earlier consensus building that resulted in the current on-going demand for Barotseland independence.

Consequently, the three regions were not included in the borders that Barotseland is currently claiming.

“However, if the people of these regions want independence, they cannot be stopped, but there must be consensus in the affected regions ascertaining that the majority want independence, and naturally such a claim would have to be pursued as a separate claim, since the Barotseland claim has already been presented to the international community and international courts of arbitration, and cannot be altered at this stage.”

“It also means that those that wish to join the Barotseland independent state right now from other regions outside of the Barotseland territory under the current claim are welcome to do so as individuals.”

The UPND as a Zambian political party believes in a united Zambia under the ‘One Zambia, one nation’ motto, and that Western province (Barotseland) only needs, in their view, an equitable share of the national development.

Although it is growing in its national appeal, the UPND has its strongest support in the regions coinciding with the historical Barotseland/North Western Rhodesia.