Mutharika dates Tanzania’s Magufuli at UN as Lake Malawi border dispute rages on

Government says it has asked the Tanzanian government to facilitate the meeting of President Peter Mutharika and President John Pombe Magufuli on the sidelines of the UN meeting in New York to discuss the Lake Malawi issue which has further soured the relationship between the two countries.

Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Francis Katsaira said Tanzania has released a new Lake Malawi map which shows the east African country has taken a chunk of Lake Malawi, which is potentially rich in oil and gas..

“We have already reported them to the African Union and very soon we will be reporting them to Comesa and Sadc,” he said.

Kasaira said Tanzanian authorities have threatened to beat up and arrest Malawians who will disregard the new map.

The old map, drawn up by Germany and Britain gives the whole Lake Malawi, except a small part to Malawi.

Tanzania has taken much interest in the lake after oil was discovered in the lake popularly known as lake of stars.

Katsaira said both Malawi and Tanzania were supposed not to interfere with the Lake Malawi issue as the matter was with the African Union and a mediation team.

He therefore said the government is waiting for a response from Tanzsnia on the proposal for Mutharika and Magofuli to meet inorder to iron out the misunderstanding over the lake.

Malawi disputes Tanzania’s claim to half the lake – Africa’s third biggest.

It has accused Tanzania of raising tension by allegedly intimidating Malawian fishermen on the lake.

Malawi awarded oil exploration licences to firms to search for oil in the lake, which Tanzania calls Lake Nyasa.