Zambia's President Edgar Lungu announced, on Sunday, that he has ordered the deployment of the military to quell electoral violence ahead of the August 12 presidential and legislative elections.

Lungu said that he allowed the Army, Air Force, and the National Service to help the Zambia Police in dealing with the security situation.

Pockets of violence have been reported in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, where supporters of the governing Patriotic Front (PF) and supporters of the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) have clashed.

Despite the Electoral Commission's ban on gatherings and organized rallies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, clashes between competing political parties have continued with little police deployment.

The police are responsible for maintaining law and order on a daily basis, but they occasionally require assistance from other security forces, according to Lungu.

In a report issued by the Electoral Commission late last June, Amnesty International warned against the President of Zambia's violent repression of any dissenting opinion, as it jeopardizes the holding of elections in a country where human rights are being consolidated.

Lungu, 64, is running for a controversial second term. He was elected in 2016, and the results of the election were rejected by the opposition.

Lungu's main opponent Hakainde Hichilema has been detained several times since he started contesting the President’s position.

Zambia is a small and impoverished country in southern Africa, with a population of 17 million. It is facing enormous financial difficulties, with an estimated external debt of 10 billion Euros.