Mutharika orders Malawi army soldiers to guard borders against maize, tobacco smuggling
President Peter Mutharika has ordered the Malawi Defense Force (MDF) soldiers to guard the country’s borders in the wake of massive smuggling of maize and tobacco.
Office of the President and Cabinet says the order is with immediate effect therefore people living in the borders should not be scared when they see soldiers in their areas.
This comes barely a day after police in Karonga have impounded 40 trucks full of maize on its way to Tanzania just two days after the law enforcers impounded 17 trucks with 300 metric tonnes heading to Tanzania.
George Mulewa, deputy publicist for Karonga police said drivers of the trucks have been picked for questioning.
Mulewa also said the drivers of the 17 trucks impounded three days ago were appearing in court on Tuesday.
A study by government and food security partners show at least 6.5 million people need emergency food aid in the 2016/17 planting season due to heavy flooding in some areas mostly in the northern region and drought in other parts of the country especially in the south.
Police say the maize smugglers are using unchartered routes to Tanzania.
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Both thumbs up for APM for the move. Please shop AFVs, Gripan planes from Botswana is offloading, some from New Zealand it is getting rid of, so too South Korea, Tornados or Harriers from the British for this guys as a thank you for their work.
On Maize,yes I agree, but on Tobacco not. Because people want to seek
higher prices of their commodity because here the prices are very low.
Some grow their own Tobacco, not loaned one. So they can choose where to sell
their crop. Last growing season it was pathetic, some farmers sent their Tobacco in
May 2016, but to their surprise, they were called in October to go and get back home their
Tobacco, which was very CRUEL, INCONSIDERATE,MOLESTING,MOCKERY etc.
On Tobacco, think twice. LIBERALISE the market.
There is an urgent need to completely overhaul the Malawi Police. It is rotten to the core. They have resorted to stealing and corruption instead of doing what they were employed for. The traffic police and CID officers are seriously compromising the security system of this nation through their unwavering appetite for corrupt money. This work would not take the whole army when police is there. Army was mainly established to safeguard the Malawi territory from external aggressors and not handling tobacco smuggling and forest encroachment by unruly citizens. What is the police for? What will they be doing? Signs… Read more »
COME ON IS IT NOT OBVIOUS THAT SOLDIERS SHOULD GUARD THE COUNTRIES BORDERS?
I am interested in the names of drivers, but owners of the trucks. Drivers are mere employees who received orders from their employers about what to load and where to go. Each truck has a name of the owner on the insurance tag – why are the police not telling us. I will rule Gambia for a billion years.
Yes send the Army, Police has failed these guys are too corrupt to guard our borders