Malawi soldiers, police battle with villagers

Malawi army soldiers have been deployed in Dedza to battle charcoal burners, a week- long exercise that has confisticated 200 bags of charcoal as of Thursday.

Alick Mitawa, district forestry officer for Dedza confirmed his office was working with over 30 soldiers in a fight against deforestation in Dedza.

“We had a successful operation in Thuma forest, we managed to successfully flush out the charcoal burners and we will now be moving to Chongoni forest,” he said.

He said the exercise, which started on Monday, was initiated after a similar exercise in Dzalanyama forest.

In Kasungu, one police officer was injured after irate villagers grabbed and assaulted him as police officers were recovering bags of fertilizer meant for the farm input subsidy which villagers allegedly looted from a truck following a misunderstanding.

Sekani Tembo, officer in charge for Kasungu Police said her officers went to Chisizime village in chief Kaomba’s village to recover the fertilizer but met stiff resistance from villagers.

The police had to use teargas to disperse the angry villagers.

Eye witnesses said the village looked like a besieged battlefield as the police recovered the fertillizer in a fierce battle with the resisting villagers.

One Admarc official was arrested in connection with the theft of the Fisp fertilizer.

In Phalombe four people have been arrested after they failed to explain how they were found with 50 bags of Fisp fertillizer which they were transporting to Blantyre on Thursday.

John Chiwalo of Phalombe police said initially the suspects said they had bought the fertilizer from Admarc but when the police insisted they go to Admarc to verify, they started changing tunes.