Embassy drama: Malawi envoy battles government over shock Kuwait recall

Malawi’s ambassador to Kuwait has launched a dramatic legal fight after being ordered to pack his bags and leave in just 16 days—despite regulations that allegedly require three months’ notice.

Younos Abdul Karim, who has served as Malawi’s ambassador to Kuwait since 2022, is challenging the Government’s dramatic decision to end his posting, accusing authorities of acting outside the rules governing the country’s diplomatic service.

The extraordinary dispute comes after a series of apparently contradictory Government decisions over who should represent Malawi in Kuwait.

On 31 August, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Kuwaiti authorities that it was withdrawing the appointment of Alison Liwanda as ambassador-designate and confirmed Karim as Malawi’s substantive ambassador.

Yet barely weeks later, Karim was ordered to return to Malawi by 30 September 2026 and hand over his responsibilities as head of mission.

According to court documents, the ambassador says the decision gave him only 16 days to wind up his affairs and leave his post.

That, he argues, flies in the face of MPSR 4:105, which provides for a statutory three-month notice period for ambassadors facing recall.

Karim has now secured an interim order from the Industrial Relations Court in Blantyre preventing the Government from treating him as having ceased to be Malawi’s ambassador to Kuwait pending determination of the dispute.

The order directs the Attorney General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chief Secretary and Malawi’s embassy in Kuwait to continue recognising Karim as the lawful holder of the post.

The case has thrown an uncomfortable spotlight on the Government’s handling of one of Malawi’s most sensitive diplomatic postings.

Officials had initially sought Kuwait’s agrément for Liwanda, who has served as Malawi’s deputy ambassador in Kuwait for about 15 years. That move was subsequently withdrawn, with Karim’s position reaffirmed.

Then came the recall.

The speed of the reversal has raised questions over why Karim was recalled so soon after the Government had formally confirmed him as ambassador—and why he was allegedly not given the notice period provided for under the regulations.

The dispute could also force scrutiny of whether Kuwait was properly and promptly informed of the rapidly changing decisions surrounding Malawi’s diplomatic representation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to publicly explain the reasons for Karim’s abrupt recall or address the allegation that the required three-month notice was not observed.

What began as a Government decision to reshuffle diplomatic responsibilities has therefore escalated into a court battle over the rules governing Malawi’s foreign service.

And until the Industrial Relations Court makes a final determination, Karim remains recognised as Malawi’s ambassador to Kuwait under the interim order—leaving the Government facing an unusually public legal challenge over its handling of a diplomatic appointment.

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