By Mercy Matonga:
The Malawi Government says it has not received any request for assistance from Malawians who are based in Israel, where Israeli and Iranian uniformed officers are throwing missiles at each other’s country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its spokesperson Charles Nkhalamba, told The Daily Times Monday that, so far, the ministry’s office in Israel has not received any call for help from Malawians who reside there.
Israel hosts hundreds of Malawians, including youths who work in Israeli farms under a government-to-government arrangement.
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“As of today, both the Ministry and the Embassy in Tel Aviv have not received any report of any affected Malawi nationals,” Nkhalamba said.
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He also said the Israeli government has declared a state of emergency, banning educational activities, gatherings and non-essential workplace operations.
It also closed its airspace prior to launching attacks on Iran, while issuing safety guidelines through the Home Front Command.
“As such, the Government of Malawi is advising Malawian diplomats and the diaspora to adhere to the guidelines from the Israeli Home Front Command. The Government of Malawi will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action where necessary,” Nkhalamba added.
He further said as a precaution, the Government of Malawi, through its embassy in Israel, was monitoring the situation and remained in contact with Malawians in that country.
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However, Nkhalamba said the ministry had no figures at that moment to tell on how many Malawians are in Israel.
Malawi has been exporting labour to Israel as part of trying to address unemployment at home. At some point, as many as 100,000 youths were said to be targeted for the labour export deal.
Since Friday, Iran has launched multiple missile attacks on Israel, with Israeli officials reporting that more than 20 people have been killed and 390 injured.
The conflict intensified after Israel carried out a surprise assault on various targets in Iran, sparking three days of escalating violence and mutual threats, marking the most intense clash yet between the two long-time rivals.
