By Deogratias Mmana:
Bilateral partners have warned the government for the violence against peaceful demonstrators on Thursday with some threatening to withdraw support.
On Thursday, Centre for Credible Elections organised demonstrations in Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Blantyre and Zomba on to force Malawi Electoral Commission Chairperson Judge Annabel Mtalimanja and Chief Elections Officer Andrew Mpesi to resign.
Panga wielding thugs attacked and beat up the leader of the organisers Sylvester Namiwa in full view of police and Malawi Defence Force officers in Lilongwe.
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The lack of action by the police and MDF has angered various institutions including donors who have expressed disbelief and shock at the conduct of the security agencies.
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The bilateral partners who include the European Union, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, United States of America and the British government yesterday issued a joint statement condemning the violence and the government’s failure to manage the situation.
In the statement, the heads of mission remind the government that “the right to freedom of assembly is enshrined in Malawi ‘s Constitution, protected under international human rights law and is the cornerstone of Malawi ‘s open and democratic society.
“As long standing partners and friends of Malawi, we are troubled by reports that illustrate a trend of violence during peaceful and lawful demonstrations in Malawi’s cities.”
The development partners have called upon the authorities of Malawi to uphold the rule of law, protect the people of Malawi and conduct an investigation into any incidents of violence.
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“Malawi’s security forces have a duty to uphold the right to freedom of assembly for all citizens. We urge all Malawians to respect the right to assemble and demonstrate responsibly and peacefully,” reads the statement.
In a separate interview, EU ambassador to Malawi Rune Skinnebach has since threatened they would withdraw support for police training if the police fail to do their work or if they are dictated on how to do their work.
The US Charge d’Affaires, Amy Diaz, also posted her comment on her X page.
She said: “I was sickened to see the violence against peaceful demonstrators by a group of armed assailants in Lilongwe yesterday. What was particularly appalling was the failure of the Malawi Police Service and Malawi Defence Force to carry out their duties to protect their fellow citizens. A fundamental duty of government is to ensure that citizens can freely exercise their rights under the constitution.”
National Police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said it is not fair to accuse the police of doing nothing during the violence when it was the police that saved Namiwa from being dragged into a vehicle which the thugs had brought on the scene.
Kalaya said the police shot teargas to control the situation that he said was getting more volatile.
He said the police have since instituted investigations and have taken caution statements from Namiwa and a driver whose vehicle was set ablaze.
He said it is not fair to blame the police only as many stakeholders are involved.
“It is not fair to say the police were idle. It is wrong to say that we did not intervene.
“We also condemn the violence. Violence has no place in a democracy like Malawi. Towards elections, we urge all players to play their rightful roles by conducting issue based campaign and avoid violence,” Kalaya said.
