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
Come on! Tsegula maso ako Malawi, zenofobia basi. No mercy at all.
I even wonder why these guys are being sent back to the prison. If they have decided to move to another country, let us allow them to do so and never accept us home again. These are the people who obtain fake malawian passports and make nasty things in the name of being Malawians. Allow the villagers kuti avale nyikwi, makanja kasiya maliro ndi chilembwe to show things foreigners real Malawi.
It is really appaling to see how Africans of one nation being intolerant and malignant towards their fellow Africans.
Let the refugees would be dealt with according to international humaniterian laws. Where is the concern of the Ethiopian authorities to resolve this crisis.Let us hear from the Ethiopian government side. As I deeply know, the Ethiopian culture does not allow such inhumane robery and stealing behavior being treated as a norm.
Let the Malwi government discuss the matter with Ethiopian officals and resolve this crisis before the angry mob could resort to barbaric acts
Let us also pray to our almighty God to prevail peace and love in Africa.
I wonder who this ethiopian is who is not ashamed and look very ingnorant that his jailed friends. The issue is whether you are handsome or what you may want to call yourselves, your friends are here in Malawi as refugees final, they are stealing our hard earned maize in the villages. How many Malawians are in your country stealing cattle and milk. Look at yourself, you are writting from USA, who knows, you should be writting from another country as an asylum seeker my brother. Instead of saying your friends should be getting home, you want them to continue begging. You dont have to be proud of yourself.
Grey
I have also been to Ethiopia and know very well how these guys behave. All they know is to advertise for cheap women in the streets, thats there business, no wonder they are raping our beautiful girls and agogo here in Malawi. Thats what they know best- sex!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the eyes of the LORD we are one .You may be light skinned or brown, the LORD created each one of us ,for a purpose.So you ETHIOPIANS who have submitted your comments be Christians in thinking.first of all think why are you in the USA and your fellow ETHIOPIAN IS HERE.You can see that already the lord has differentiated your purpose as Ethiopians.How about the continent and the entire world?
If all Ethiopians were thinking like this “Ethiopian” they would have no respect from anyone on the globe. Put on your thinking cap!
I think the government of Malawi should deport them each to their country of origin. Amharas and Tigrians Ethiopian are genetically violent, they are animals who will rape anything that moves and most of them are criminals, and by the way, there are no Djiboutian refugees in Malawi or anywhere else in the world, Djibouti is peace country!
I am quite ashamed of the comment given by the person who claimed to be an ‘Ethiopian’. I would like to assure my Malawian brothers and sisters that his view in no way represent the view of other Ethiopians. It is just a babbling of a confused person. As Grey Mfuni said ‘What counts is the brain!’ not color. Regarding the refugees, though I understand their problem, I belive that they must respect the people and the law of their host country (in this case Malaw) until they depart. It would also be good if the Malawian authorities could facilitate their passage to where they intend sooner.
God Bless Malawi and Ethiopia, and of course the rest of Africa!
Dear Malawi Friends
It is not wise for you to advocate and fire-up the killing of these innocent refugies. If you do that, you are giving your people and your country a very bad image. Killing and murdering refugees can only make you savages in these modern society. If one or two refugees commit crime, the authorities need to single out those criminals and punish them with your laws. It is not wise to advocate to wipe out the entire refugees. After all, all of them might not be Ethiopians. A good proportion of them are Eritreans and Somalians. At this very bad time, Eastern Africa is not a good place to live and survive, especially for the poor. So you should treat them kindly. Not only that, those refugees won’t stay in Malawi permanently. they will seek to go to industrialized countries so that they can work and help their families.
The other thing you need to know is that, Ethiopians do not look down on others. we respect everyone. we are friendly to our african brothers. Ignore some of the comments who are trying to make us look bad. such comments come from the Ethiopian government who is ruling the country like the hutu-tutsi style. so the ethiopian government wouldn’t want Malawi to be receptive and friendly to these poor refugies. I have heard enough stories of how the people of Kenia, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe to the Ethiopian refugies who made it to South Africa. So stay being nice for poor people. God has blessed your country so you don’t have conflict and political problems. I pray you remain like that.
We don’t have any malawian roaming in Ethiopia.Brainless people you killed each other with eritreans like nobody business?Ethiopians,eritreans,somalians you are the one giving the bad image of africa.You are not white either blacks or asians…what type of race are you??Just good at taking hostages in indian ocean..with no means of proper survival.Vultures have been eating your skinny condemned neglected kids because of hunger…shame on you ethiopians …people with no pride.