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About 800 Zambian squatters have invaded more than 800 hectares of unused farmland near the capital, Lusaka, ‘The Zambia Daily Mail’ said on Thursday.
The squatters were reportedly building houses on the land on the outskirts of Lusaka without the government’s authority, the minister in charge of the city Sonny Mulenga said.
Mulenga, who visited the site on Wednesday, urged the squatters to evacuate. So far, they have refused to leave. “It would be unfair if I told you to continue building, because one day the city council would come and demolish your houses and you will lose your money,” Mulenga reportedly said.
The government-owned land is designated as farmland, but the fields are not being worked because the government has not authorised anyone to plough them. According to the report, the squatters are supporters of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) of President Frederick Chiluba. The squatters claim the land has been unused for more than 10 years, and have vowed to continue erecting settlements.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions