Malawi bemoans Tanzania’s tactics , maintains Lake Malawi ownership non negotiable
Malawi government has bemoaned tactics by the Republic of Tanzania in frustrating mediation talks over Lake Malawi boundary dispute.
The two countries have been at loggerheads over the Lake of Malawi with Tanzania insisting it owns part of the lake which they call Lake Nyasa.
Malawi and Tanzania were expected to return to the negotiation table weeks ago precisely on 8th and 9th May, in Johannesburg, South Africa only for Tanzania to put off the talks.
President Peter Mutharika initiated the resumption of the talks following his meeting with his Tanzanian counterpart the popular President John Pombe Magufuli earlier t
his year on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) summit.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Francis Kasaila said government was concerned with Tanzania’s action, saying the postponement protracts the conclusion of the matter.
“His Excellency Joaquim Chissano, former President of the Republic of Mozambique and the Chairperson of the High Level Mediation Team (HLMT), invited the governments of Malawi and Tanzania to resume the mediation talks which were scheduled to take place from 8th to 9th May, 2017.
“Malawi confirmed its participation after consultations with Tanzania. However, on 4th May, 2017, the Government of Malawi received communication on the postponement of the meeting by the Chairperson of the HLMT at the instance of the Government of Tanzania,” explained Kasaila.
Kasaila also said that government was astounded with the recent media statement attributed to Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Malawi, Victoria Mwakasege that her government wants to have a share of the oil resources which has never been Tanzania’s position since the dispute started.
He expressed hope that the High Level Mediation Team (HLMT) will manage to resolve the matter which has been dragging since 2012.
“The government of Malawi continues to be committed to the Mediation Process and peaceful resolution of the dispute through contact and dialogue. Malawi believes that the HLMT has the capacity to decisively make a determination on the dispute, in a logical and timely manner, and on the basis of long established principles,” he added.
President Peter Mutharika recently insisted national boundaries should never be an excuse for division.
Mutharika in his speech during the opening the 4th ordinary session of Pan-African Parliament in Johannesburg, South Africa, called African countries to desist from inciting conflicts against each other due to boundaries.
He said in Resolution 17(1) of the First Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU, all member states solemnly pledged and declared “to respect the borders existing on their achievement of national independence.”
“The most outstanding of those forefathers was Julius Nyerere who sponsored the resolution and led Tanzania in playing an active role in respecting the territorial integrity we inherited from colonialism. Paradoxically, our unity lies in the borders that divide us. On 6th March 1997, in Accra, the founding President of Tanzania, Nyere himself, said we must continue respecting the borders we found because “without unity, there is no future for Africa.”
The mediation process between the two countries was approved by the Council of Ministers of the governments of Malawi and Tanzania on 17th November, 2012, and the two governments agreed to engage the HLMT, chaired by Joaquim Chissano. Other members of the team include South Africa former President, Thabo Mbeki, and Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana.
The HLMT convened the first mediation talks from 20th to 21st March, 2014, in Maputo, Mozambique, where Malawi and Tanzania submitted their respective positions. Malawi’s position is that the boundary is the shoreline of Lake Malawi as established by Article 1(2) of the 1890 Anglo-German Treaty.
According to Malawi, it owns Lake Malawi in its entirety. On the other hand, Tanzania claims that the boundary is the median line of the Lake based on principles of customary international law.
The HLMT once proposed that the parties should consider how they can jointly exploit and share the resources found in Lake Malawi, before establishing the position of the boundary between the two countries. The HLMT was of the view that through the benefits accrued in the process, the boundary dispute would eventually be resolved.
However, both Malawi and Tanzania delegations did not agree with the HLMT on the proposal and reaffirmed that the boundary issue be resolved first.
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Ndinthawi yoti asirikali athu aonetse ntchito yawo asamangolandira cherete the whale lake malawi belongs to malawi that is all.
The problem is the late Kamuzu fr not building structures at the lake shores , there near Tanzania . For instance Mozambique you find electricity at the village. Constructed roads. That’s the way to go. U can’t claim that this is my plot without protecting it like planting trees or building temporally structures. Sorry my other land. How can you move the pole the place they had been staying since 1970?
If Tanzania is shelving the talks, it is because they are already using part of our waters.
So we need to close borders and arrest anyone found jumping the borders to our side without
valid papers, including in Lake Malawi. This is undermining our sovereignty. We need to put
patrol boats to do patrol along the whole eastern shore of Lake Malawi. Malawians need
to feel safe and protected in their land. The government need to make sure of that.
Soldiers back to work osamangoti apita Ku rwanda ayi Malawi must be securing our boundaries from nw.people thy treat us bad in their countries why u bingu so soft to them? Uwas not there by time of boundaries n mwakufuli john was not himself so Tanzania can’t called Nyasa while Malawi was,no time for negotions for good reason lake Malawi is for malawians pliz put soldiers first for our safety reasons.do us america do no nonses n ears closed for thy meeting remember we r voting 2019 watch carefully our country.
This Government is so cowardice, I don’t know wars are fault eve with strong Armies and worn.Muthalika must resign if he cant even have the audacity to stand on this or 2019 you are gone back to YOUR COUNTRY America.
No need of thinking about a war, sometimes wars on such issues never end regardless of who wins in one particular time. They can always be on and off leaving people with abject poverty. Let’s support our governments on their move towards peaceful resolution for our benefit and that of our children, grand and great grand children. Ongito Hodari _ Tanzanian
This is non negotiatiable isseu Lake Malawi is for malawian.Our friends the zTanzanian must respect this we don’t want fighting.The malawian we will not allow Tanzania Government to take what is ours.
No need for war,that lake belongs to us let’s do whatever we want with it,if someone come and provoke us then he/she wrong and action will be taken from there.why negotiate on our own asset?what is it that’s making Kasaila and his team to fear Tanzania?? MDF must stop mounting roadblocks for maize traders instead they build army barracks in chitipa,Rumphi and karonga they protect our lake,let the MDF come down from the mountain and out of forests, let them protect our lake,its more precious than hunting a charcoal burner
This very true why negotiating
You want to go to war against Tanzania,try on.In 53 years of independence,which war Malawi has ever fought? War is not Nyau or chasing Mice in the bush,if Iddi Amini Dada was alive,you could have asked him why he ranaway and left his troops in disarray and at the mercy of the battle-hardened Tanzanian troops inside Uganda.Mind you,if the war starts today,Tanzania will have the support of many African States especially Mozambique,South Africa,Zimbabwe,Namibia and Angola which received financial and military support from Tanzania during the liberation struggle while,Malawi was hob nobbing with the imperialist and colonialist forces which killed thousands… Read more »
You must be very STUPID.CELAKA
Winston Msowoya read your history dont be so daft. Malawi occupied Mozambique from 1978 to 1991 during the Mozambique civil war to protect Malawi’s interests namely the Nacala corridor with Liwonde as the Forward operating base;our border security was also a concern and no single shot was fired on Malawi territory. Mind u the Mzuzu to Songwe border what makes part of the Mtwara corridor was not yet developed and the mwaza zobue nyamapanda road plus the Sena railway was infested with landmines with the mwami zambia road as the 2nd alternative to malawi to reach the ocean. TZ defeated… Read more »
Angotipezera zida basi,tinatopa ndi kupukuta mfuti enafe.