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Barotse leader to stay put

    JOHANNESBURG

    Imasiku Mutangelwa, the leader of the Barotse Patriotic Front (BPF) who has been holed up in the residence of South Africa's High Commissioner's residence in Lusaka for seven days, will stay put until Zambian and South African authorities reach an agreement on his status, media reports said on Friday.

    Quoting a Namibian-based South African diplomat, the reports said Mutangelwa was willing to be handed over to the Zambian authorities, but he wants to know the nature of the charges against him. "Mutangelwa also wants the UNHCR to mediate in the matter and has demanded to be tried in a court of law," the diplomat was quoted as saying, adding that his government could not kick Mutangelwa out of its premises as this would be in violation of the Geneva conventions on protecting asylum seekers.

    Mutangelwa sought refuge in the High Commissioner's residence after being summoned to Zambian police headquarters on media allegations that he had expressed support for separatists in neighbouring Namibia's Caprivi Strip.

    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

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