What was supposed to be a routine Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) blue parade in the city of Lilongwe Saturday turned out to be a scene of bloodletting and property damage.
The party has been conducting these shows in the Southern Region during which party officials, among others, urge people to register when Malawi Electoral Commission voter registration starts for the elections next year.
Yesterday, DPP followers had gathered at Mbowe filling station to start the march through the streets of the city. But the parade suffered before it had taken off.
According to regional coordinator and organiser of the blue parade Levy Luwemba, they were getting ready to start off when two vehicles—four and seven tonners —arrived at the venue.
Out came a gang of men armed with axes, pangas and stones who unleashed terror in no time.
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“They hacked some of our supporters and some were lucky to get away. Over 20 people have been seriously injured and they are receiving treatment at ABC clinic and Kamuzu Central Hospital,” Luwemba said.
When we arrived at the scene, we found 10 vehicles still at the site some with their windscreens smashed to smithereens.
Some had their bumpers badly damaged and their Vehicles batteries and other parts stripped away.
Others had their tyres removed or flattened.
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Police officers who arrived at the site to restore order went into the nearby bush with some DPP members searching for victims of the attack.
They were able to locate some men and women who had been brutally attacked and they took them to the hospital.
We also visited ABC clinic in the capital’s Area 47 where we met three men receiving treatment.
One was hacked in the head and another had both a gush on the head and bruises all over the body.
The other man lying in agony on the bed. A guardian told us that he had been beaten by metal bar.
One of the victims, Eddson Kamwendo from Area 24, said he was attacked by an axe.
“I just felt the axe in my head and I collapsed. I regained consciousness here at the hospital. As you can see on this cloth, I had already lost so much blood before getting here,” he said.
We also went to Kamuzu Central Hospital where we met eight women who were also receiving treatment.
They said they had been beaten severely and one of them has been taken into the X-ray room for further examination.
“It’s like they wanted to kill us. I could have lost my life today,” said one of the women while on a hospital bed.
According to Luwemba, they had earlier informed the police and the Lilongwe District Council about the parade.
And they were given a go ahead.
“Just yesterday we were locked up in a meeting with the council and the police. The council gave us a permission to hold the parade and the police assured us of security.
“When the gang arrived and started attacking us, the police vehicles could be seen just driving around doing nothing about the situation. They came only when the situation had calmed down. I don’t want to conclude anything, but only Malawians can judge,” Luwemba said.
DPP believes Malawi Congress Party is behind the violence but the party has denied this.
In a statement signed by DPP spokesperson Shadric Namalomba, the party said:
“The vicious cycle of violence is once again being perpetrated by the Malawi Congress Party.
“In a country where people have the right to assembly, we have witnessed, not for the first time, MCP vagabonds and hooligans causing havoc, destroying property and injuring people,” reads the statement.
DPP has therefore called for independent investigations for those involved to be brought to justice.
However, in a statement released by the party’s publicity secretary, Ezekiel Ching’oma, MCP has denied involvement.
“At this point in time, the Malawi Congress Party finds it not appropriate to make baseless accusations or assumptions without evidence.
“We ask the Malawi Police to do a thorough investigation on this issue so that the perpetrators should be brought to book as soon as possible. MCP is a very peaceful party and should not be associated with any violence of any kind,” reads Ching’oma’s statement.
Malawi Police Service has also condemned the violence, describing it as politically motivated.
“MPS reminds all political parties and their followers that Malawi is built on a strong democratic foundation where every citizen’s political rights, which include to peacefully and lawfully gather with others, are guaranteed,” says MPS in a statement signed by its spokesperson Peter Kalaya.
MPS says it is investigating the matter. The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has since condemned the attacks, describing them as barbaric.
HRDC Chairperson Gift Trapence has called upon the Inspector General of the Malawi Police to swiftly investigate the incident and hold those responsible to account.
“We should not allow our political differences escalate to violence and endanger the lives of innocent citizens. Attacking individuals based on their political affiliation is a blatant violation of human rights and democratic principles. Violence has no place in a democratic society,” Trapence said.
