Malawi Police arrest 169 Ethiopians
Malawi Police at Lumbadzi in Lilongwe have arrested 169 Ethiopian refugees who were attempting to escape from Dzaleka refugee camp in Dowa.
This is the fourth time in three months police have arrested such a huge number of Ethiopians trying to flee the country using unlawful means. Most of these Ethiopians enter the country using unchartered routes in Northern districts of Malawi.
Lumbadzi Police Officer-in-Charge Effie Sato said the Ethiopians were arrested on Tuesday after getting a tip from the public who became suspicious with huge group of strange people.
“The refugees were taking a rest at a Chinese shop and some people got fishy with them and reported to our office,” said the Lumbadzi police boss.
The refugees are said to have carried maize and water and were reportedly heading for Zimbabwe.
“We are currently facilitating to take them back to the camp. We arrested them because they had no travel documents,” said the Officer-in-Charge.
According to Sato, one of the refugees, who was the only one who could communicate in English, said they decided to flee the camp because they are encountering myriad hitches at the camp like poor diet and sanitation.
The refugee also explained that five of their countrymen have died this year due to poor diet and healthy facilities and were buried right there.
Over 600 Ethiopian Refugees have been arrested this year alone for attempting to escape the camp for greener pastures in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Two weeks ago, group and village headmen surrounding Dzaleka Refugee camp asked government to urgently find means of instilling discipline among the Ethiopian asylum seekers.
The development came after the foreigners invaded Mengwe village in the area of T/A Chikukula where they stole maize while the owners were busy attending a funeral.
Group Village Headman Mengwe warned that if government does not do anything they would take law into their own hands because they were tired with the rotten behaviour of the Ethiopians.
The Ethiopians are said to be fighting indigenous Malawians, raping girls and old women and stealing from the surrounding villages, among others.
“We want government to take action urgently because we have been patient enough with these foreigners and the situation is now getting out of hand.
“People are living in fear in their own country because the Ethiopians are not only invading the villages during the day but also night, a situation that poses danger to their lives and property. If government is not assisting us we have the means to deal with the situation ourselves,” said the angry village, whose area is well known for gule wankulu cult.
There are currently over 8000 asylum seekers at Dzaleka camp from various countries like Somalia, Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, Djibouti but the Ethiopians are said to be the most nuisance.
Tagged with: Dzaleka, Ethiopians
Indeed the foreigners are causing troubles to some villagers but my question is why is government staying idol on this issue? The Ethiopians are fighting our fellow malawians reaching a stage of raping girls,government is not punishing them.I dont know what security is there.If the villagers take a bad action to these foreghners at dzaleka will it be the time when govenment will act.Malawi Police should take the matter seriously otherwise villagers can not let the foreghners to feel at home in Malawi.
Mr Village headman please kill these bastards…chonde.
some Africans are still thinking gloom.they are still stupid.u don’t bring any change by killing them
i hope you come never in the situation to have to flee your country to seek survival and to try and get something for your family. Look at the poor situation in the camps, hunger and bad sanitary situation and understand the total despair of the people who only were looking for a better life. Right to food, medical assistance and sanitation is a human right
You only need to load these Ethopians in a tata, drop them at the boarder and they will be very happy to walk all the way to the so called greener pasture, akadziwe cholera ya mugabe amenewa asiyeni
Ndizoonadi zija amanena Osaweta zija.
Sitikukana kukhala nao koma ufulu umene apatsidwa ndiochuluka zedi. Anthu amenewa kwao sangatipatse wamtundu umenewu.
adzipita kwawo inu, nkhondo inatha amenewa. mukuyesa mukanakhala inu akanakusungani kwawo anthu amenewa?????????
Ine zimandidabwitsa zedi kuti anthu othawa kwawowa akafuna kuchoka kuno kwathu, ife a Malawi timakhala ngati chiripo chimene amatithandiza, kuwalimbira kwake. Bwanji osawasiya azipita kumene afunako? Malo athu aja akhoza kukhala malo abwino kuyikapo chinthu chothandiza ife a Malawi, koma nganganga ndi anthu amenewa bwanji? Mumapezapo cholowa eti? Nthawi zina ndikadzakwiya, pakuti ndikakwiya paliwombo panga pamatula madzi, ndidzawathira bomba anthuwo. Sindiwona chifukwa chowaletsera kuti azipita uko akuwona nkwabwinoko, asiyeni apite koma asadzabwerenso, chifukwa kubweranso ndi ngozi tsopano. ndi anthu omwewa akutivutitsa ndi zipongwe m’mataunimu. Ngati palibetu chomwe mumapezapo, tiwona mukuwalola, apo biii, ndiye kuti pali kena mukukapeza anthunu. Koma malo aja ndi anga mwini wake ndimafuna ndiyikepo sukulu yapamwamba youphunzitsirapo anthu za ulimi wothirira.
The government need to strengthen the security at the camp. Otherwise might be heading for disaster. these people can do anything in the process of escaping and poses danger to the public at large. The government should think of other ways of dealing with these people
It is right and proper to deal with these people the way the Egyptians are dealing with illegal trespassers into Israel. No kid gloves please. If it was Malawians behaving like this in Ethiopia, would the Ethipoians be so meek in dealing with them? Wake up Malawi!
So how long are you going to keep these people when they actually want to leave?By the way, is there still war or famine back home?
Let them go, how did they get here? Did they come with documents? What are the two diplomatic offices doing–loafing?
Why not let them get on with their travels, atleast when they are gone they will pose no risk to the locals and besides they they will become responsebility of either the Zimbabwean or South Africans. Let them go, and save a few tambala’s that tax payers have been footing to keep these refugees.