Tanzania deports 12 Malawians amid straining diplomatic relations
The government of Tanzania has deported 12 Malawians – most of them youths under the age of 30 – who are since being detained in a removal detention camp while waiting for deportation, Malawi government officials have confirmed.
The deportation comes a few days after Lilongwe wrote Dodoma protesting the latter’s newly published map that has part of Lake Malawi on it.
Songwe Boarder publicist Yusuf Shaibu confirmed the development to Nyasa Times, adding that most of the deportees are Tongas from the lakeshore district of Nkhata Bay and were arrested in their respective work places in Dare Salaam.
“We were surprised seeing that immigration authorities from Tanzania have brought Malawians to our post claiming that they were found in their country without work or business permits as they were carrying out an ongoing national operation, a thing which has not been happening for a long time,” said Shaibu.
He then identified some of the deportees as Moses Nkhwazi, 32, Mdula Mwaipopo, 24, Thomas Kamanga, 20, Kidry Essau, 19, Jackson Villium, 22, Ethel Kalambo, 25, Nelly Moses, 18 and Ennelles Chirwa 26.
Thomas Kamanga confided in Nyasa Times in an interview that “we are wondering why the Tanzanian government is only targeting Malawians despite there being a number of illegal immigrants from other countries like Zambia.”
He added: “The bad thing is that when Tanzanians come here we treat them as brothers and sisters but when we go to their country nowdays, we are illtreated.”
Meanwhile, some quarters suspect that the Tanzanian government has embarked on the “deportation campaign” as one way of expressing their anger over the boundary disputes between the two countries – especially on the Lake Malawi.
Most of the districts in the northern region are harbouring hundreds of Tanzanians living in the country illegally; and, on top of that, operating shops illegally.
In 2013, Malawians living in Tanzania were also chased and some fishermen beaten when the disagreements over the lake had reached their apex.
The development may spark a tit-for-tat action whereby Malawians may start chasing Tanzanians living illegally in the country.
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If there is a need for these illegal immigrants to be deported, why not. Well done Tanzania. No body z above the law
During Dr. Banda’s reign, Malawi NEVER cooperated with Tanzania, partly because Tanzania was harbouring Malawian rebels like Peter Mutharika, Kanyama Chiume just to mention a few, we never used their ports, when anarchy broke out in Mozambique, we used the South African port of Durban. Multipartyism opened the northern boarder & in the process imported the dirtness of vending and shiting anywhere.
What tanzania is needed to know is about this, all around the globe( world) is occupied by problems like war, disease, economy crisis, job problems. Once you take your country is like paradise is too bad. Dunia tambala mbovu. The bad thing what tanzania was done last week, even Burundian was taken to court that they had no
The goverment of tanzania has started deporting illegal immigrants who working here in tz without proper documents,nt only malawian who are facing this,there is chinese,nigerian,burundi,rwandese,kenyans and many more nationalities so its nt straight facing only malawian,please nyasatimes dont misinform people malawi and tanzania we are good neighours we depend each other in many ways
Palibe nkhani apa. If you do not have proper immigration papers, you are a prohibited immigrants; aliens who must be sent back to where they are welcome. Whether Malawi entertains undocumented travelers from Tanzania is immaterial.
Komatu tsiku lina ma Taifawa adzadziwa chomwe chinadula mutu wa Zizwa, kutiona kufupika chiani? Adzamenyedwa tsiku lina amenewa, akuoneka kuti sanaonereko ndeu yomenyana Mwana ndi Wankulu, imaseketsa kkkk nde amawina ndi mwana. Better be it sweeping out process of undocumented immigrants not attaching issues surrounding the L.Malawi border.
I don’t see how we should be wasting time debating the issue of deportation of twelve stupid lawbreakers in a foreign country. It is illegal to reside and work in another country without proper documents. These dudes were contravened Tanzanian laws and they should be dealt with accordingly. The fact that Malawi is not reinforcing its laws by letting illegal immigrants to to work without documents doesn’t make Tanzania faulty. This actually goes a long way to explain why our country has quickly been handed over to foreigners. Our systems are so porous and no one seems interested to make… Read more »
ali nd ndege za nkhondo zokwana 100, nde tingamake?
All over the World people without documents face such problems. South Africa does the same. Unless they deport those with valid documents then there is an issue or they practice xenophobia. If Tanzanian’s and other nationals stay in our country without papers then it’s our problems. The Government should ensure that Malawi a can easily get passport because that contributes for people to move without passports then the other thing is work permits. One can’t be working working without them. Let’s be not be emotional amangwetu. We go to collect vehicles in TZ , do they refuse us ?
I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE SUGGESTION BY TABIA NJEMA. WE NEED TO HAVE OUR GOVERNMENT TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE DIPLOMATICALLY. WE SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT WE STILL HAVE MANY OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN TANZANIA, SO CHASING THE TANZANIANS MAY AFFECT THE WELFARE OF OUR BROTHERS THAT SIDE. IF WE WANT TO CHASE THEM HERE LET US FIRST ASK ALL OUR BRTHERS AND SISTERS TO FIRST LEAVE TZ AND THEN WE CAN ACT THAT WAY. UNFIRTUNATELY SOME OF OUR BROTHERS ARE IN TZ FOR THEIR SURVIVAL. MALAWI GOVERNMENT MUST WAKE UP AND CREATE INITIATIVES THAT CAN SUPPORT THE WELFARE… Read more »