Malawi police, immigration intercept illegal cross border traders

Immigration authorities and the police have rounded people who cross the border between Malawi and Tanzania illegally by using unchartered routes.

This comes amid concern that latest cases of coronavirus are being imported from Tanzania.

The authorities rounded up the illegal cross borderers at Songwe Border in Karonga amid enhanced security to arrest spread of the COVID-19 into the country.

They were ambushed in an operation jointly mounted by the immigration, Malawi Police, the Malawi Defense Force (MDF) and health officials has led to the arrest of several individuals.

Malawi has not closed its borders but advises people to use formal border points where they can be checked for coronavirus.

Tanzania is one of the countries that continues to register significant cases in the southern part of the continent.

However, some traders continue to use non-conventional routes, defying calls to temporarily halt non-essential inter-country trade.