Chakwera condemns political terror against opposition: MCP fears Malawi ‘genocide’

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential hopeful Lazarus Chakwera – who is expected to be torchbearer grand opposition alliance – has condemned the needless political violence and terror against opposition parties  ahead of the July 2 fresh presidential election.

In an interview on Tuesday after visiting in hospital victims of arson at the  UTM office located at Area 24 in the Capital City said the violence was completely unacceptable.

Political thugs suspected to be governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) youth militia knonw as Cadets torched torched the UTM offices with petrol bomb Monday l night.

The guard and some of his children suffered burns and were taken to hospital by well-wishers.

“Our prayers go out to the injured,” the former church cleric turned politician said.

“Violence must have no place in our politics. We must bring the cycle of violence to an end,” he said.

The incident happened hours after UTM leader Saulos Chilima condemned separate attacks on UTM members by suspected DPP youth cadets in Mulanje and Thyolo at the weekend.

He also condemned the attack on the home of Shaheeda Hussein, UTM Party Eastern Region director of women, in Balaka where her house and a UTM Party-branded vehicle were torched by unidentified assailants.

According to Chilima, President Peter Mutharika and his part want to use the violence to scare and  disenfranchise some voters through intimidation in order to remain in power.

Speaking on TimesTalk programme on Monday on Times Radio hosted by Brian Banda, MCP secretary general Elsenhower Mkaka warned that is not tamed  the political violence risk developing into genocidal proportions.

” We don’t have police now. People have to use self defence because police cannot help them, they only protect the ruling DPP. If nothing is done to stop this terror, we risk witnessing genocide similar to that experienced in Rwanda,” said Mkaka.

Chancellor College-based political scientist Mustafa Hussein has also warned that the violence may degenerate into chaos if it remains unchecked.