By Clever Mwale:
The Independent Complaints Commission (ICC) has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of all individuals involved in the violence that marred the June 26 demonstrations organised by the Citizens for Credible Elections (CfCE).
It has also called for stern disciplinary action against police officers who failed in their duties.
At a press conference held at its headquarters in Lilongwe on Thursday, the ICC, led by Commissioner Christopher Tukula, released ‘limited’ findings of its investigation into the violent attacks that occurred during the protests.
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Tukula said that a full report has been submitted to relevant stakeholders, and has some details withheld from the public.
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Nevertheless, the report exposes negligence, poor coordination and a breakdown of command within the Malawi Police Service, which the ICC believes contributed to the chaos and unnecessary harm inflicted on civilians.
“Our findings show that police conduct on June 26 raises serious concerns of criminal negligence, professional misconduct, and deliberate dereliction of duty,” Tukula said
The report says despite multiple eyewitness accounts, photographic and video evidence pointing clearly to the perpetrators, police have made no arrests.
Three suspects have already been identified and named— two of whom are known repeat offenders—but their names have been withheld.
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Disturbingly, according to the report, some of the perpetrators are reportedly out on police bail from previous offences, further questioning the integrity of policing decisions.
The ICC also found that while some police officers tried to intervene—two officers notably helped CfCE leader Sylvester Namiwa escape from attackers— many others abandoned their posts or passively watched the violence unfold.
At Lilongwe Community Ground, the starting point of the demonstrations, only 20 police officers were deployed, compared to a required 50, and those present lacked critical public order equipment.
“The Malawi Police Service failed to adequately equip its officers with essential public order management tools,” reads part of the report.
The report details how the violence was carried out by three coordinated groups. The first consisted of about 20 men armed with clubs who assaulted individuals, including those on a CfCE sound system truck.
A second group of nearly 400 people torched a minibus and a vehicle carrying sound equipment.
The third group, arriving in a Toyota Fortuner, attempted to abduct Namiwa by force but was stopped after he fled, aided by the few active police officers present.
Crucially, the ICC found that some officers had prior knowledge of the planned violence but chose not to act. At one point, police were tipped about a group gathering near Lilongwe Girls Secondary School cemetery with weapons, but no preventive measures were taken. The ICC suspects complicity, or at minimum, deliberate negligence.
The Commission has condemned the failure to disarm the attackers despite intelligence and legal powers available to the police.
The use of teargas, instead of neutralising the threat, backfired due to poor tactical judgement and caused panic among officers, leading many to flee and leaving civilians unprotected.
Senior officers were also faulted for releasing serial offenders on bail without due consideration of their past violent conduct.
“One senior officer exhibited poor judgement in authorising the release on police bail three individuals identified as criminals and repeat offenders,” says the report.
In total, 914 police officers had been deployed across 29 designated sectors for the protest. However, the report indicates that despite these numbers, serious coordination and discipline issues undermined the operation.
In its recommendations, the ICC has urged the Inspector General of Police to immediately initiate a criminal investigation into the attacks, arrest and prosecute all identified suspects, and hold accountable every officer who failed to perform their duty.
Internal disciplinary proceedings should commence against all officers who absconded, abandoned their posts, or acted negligently.
The Commission also recommended that the Malawi Defence Force and Malawi Police Service urgently review their coordination protocols during joint operations, as confusion between the two forces exacerbated the violence.
Tukula clarified that the ICC report is not meant to assign guilt but to establish facts and recommend corrective action.
“This is not about naming and shaming, but about ensuring accountability. Names of those identified have been withheld for now to avoid jeopardising investigations,” he said.
The ICC finally warned that failure to act decisively could signal to both criminals and rogue officers that impunity is tolerated.
He said that no one is above the law and all officials to whom recommendations have been made will be summoned to the Parliament if they do not act.
The report is the first to be released as the country awaits more reports from other bodies who also conducted their investigations.
The June 26 attacks attracted widespread condemnation, including the donor community who also blamed the police for not providing the necessary security.
However, police refused to take the blame.
