The Southern African Development Community, or SADC, announced that it began its observation mission for Zambia's Aug. 13 general election, which comprises 106 personnel, the regional bloc said in an Aug. 6 statement. This comes amid preelection violence in Zambia's Western, North-Western, Southern and Lusaka provinces in recent weeks, for which President Hakainde Hichilema's ruling United Party for National Development, or UPND, and the opposition led by presidential candidate Brian Mundubile have traded blame.