Ex-Zambia president Rupiah’s Malawi peace mission fails

Former president of Zambia Rupiah Banda has failed to come to Malawi to end the prevailing political stand-off as some players seem not to be interested in the initiative.

Banda was scheduled to start meeting the government and the ruling party officials, the opposition, the human rights activists and other players on Friday in a bid to end the political impasse in the country which follows the highly disputed May 21 presidential election results.

Rafiq Hajat, the coordinator of the peace mission in Malawi initiated by the Electoral Initiative for Sustainable Democracy in Africa said some key political players had shown resentment towards the peace initiative.

“We were faced with a great dilemma. How could we go ahead with the peace initiative if the key political players were not interested,” said Hajat.

The South Africa based Electoral Initiative for Sustainable Democracy in Africa had already invited Rupiah Banda and other respected political mediators in Africa for the peace initiative in the country.

State House spokesperson Mgeme Kalilani said President Peter Mutharika had not received official invitation to participate in such a meeting.

Main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera has also said he has not been communicated to on the matter.

The initiative to end the political impasse which threatens the country’s fast growing but fragile economy is the third after the first botched initiated by former president Bakili Muluzi and the hazy initiative by the Public Affairs Committee (PAC).

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