Things continue to fall apart in Mozambique ahead of SADC Extraordinary Meeting
The situation in Mozambique is continuously becoming abysmal ahead of an Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Malawi is expected to virtually host on January 7, 2022.
It seems the fight for minerals in the Cabo Delgado Province continues to proliferate and tens of Mozambique nationals are now trekking to Malawi for refugee.
A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Extraordinary Summit “will among other things review progress and mandate of SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).”
It said: “His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the SADC, will Chair the Extraordinary Summit.”
But Nyasa Times has learnt that even before the summit on Friday asylum seekers, using designated and undesignated routes, are already being accommodated in the lakeshore district of Mangochi – a group of 17 people in Chiphwanya Village of Traditional Authority Nkumba, and another at Katuli Police Station.
One of the asylum seekers, who identified himself as Namanya Andrewson, told the media that he, wife, eight children and seven grandchildren fled into Malawi to save dear life.
He said they walked on foot from the district of Malanga in Luchinga, Mozambique, after people he accused of being rebels killed people in a neighbouring village.
“They killed people by slaughtering them with knives. I could not stay and risk my life and my children’s. As such, I had to leave everything behind and come to Malawi to live in peace,” he said.
After some days, a woman identified as Siphat Faki started accommodating them in her two-bedroom house, which used to house a tenant.
The woman gave them her only bag of maize to survive on because the asylum seekers had no food and children were becoming weak due to hunger.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Red Cross Society on Tuesday donated items such as blankets, kitchen utensils and tents to the Mozambicans.
However, the asylum seekers have no food to eat.
Andrewson said they have been surviving on maize.
“We do not have enough food to last us two days,” he said.
Currently, Mangochi District Council officials have indicated that they are working with Ministry of Homeland Security officials to have all the asylum seekers registered before deciding on where to accommodate them.
Malawi Red Cross Society Director of Disaster Management Aston Mulwafu said his organisation got a request from the council to support the asylum seekers such that they are now waiting for the council to further help the people.
The SADC mission is meant to support Mozambique combat terrorism and “acts of violent extremism” in some districts of Cabo Delgado Province.
In June 2021, Sadc nations agreed to deploy forces to Mozambique to help it tackle the violence, which has led to the death of about 3,000 people.
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I find the gesture by Malawians to receive Mozambicans refugees in Mangochi on their own as very stupid. They should be taught on how they can handle immigrants that is by reporting them to leaders and the police. What they did is what has flooded Malawi with illegal immigrants who today the country is failing to deal with
Yet in the poor Malawi others, want govt to give them jobs and money to survive!!