Karonga land wrangle leaves 101 people homeless
A land dispute between two villages in the Northern Region district of Karonga has resulted in 25 families being rendered homeless after their houses were demolished.
The land wrangle is between the people of neighbouring villages of Muchenjere and Mwakabanga, an official at Karonga District Council has said.
The incident has left about 101 people destitute. The victims are now jointly spending their daytime under trees where they share meals.
And during the night they take refuge in classroom blocks without blankets.
The people of the two villages are quarrelling over piece of land which each village claims ownership.
“Things went sour this week when their differences culminated into violence and about 25 houses from Muchenjere Village were completely demolished,” he said.
During the fracas several household properties which included food stuff, several bags of fertilizer, furniture, among others, was either looted, burnt or damaged.
According to police 11 people from the entire village of Mwakabanga that descended on Muchenjere village have been arrested and one person is battling for life at Karonga District Hospital after he was seriously injured in the clashes.
The Karonga DC’s office has since assisted the affected villagers with 50 blankets 24 bags of maize each weighing 50kg and pales which they are using communally.
The office has, however, sent an appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance to the homeless families.
Meanwhile, Paramount Chief Kyungu has expressed shock with the development and was scheduled to meet chiefs and their counsellors from the two warring villages.
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