Peace return after Malawi police, parties meet over political violence
Malawi has tasted resemblance of peace after days of political violence in some areas ahead of the Constitutional Court sanctioned presidential election.
This follows peace talks which political parties’s secretary generals held with the police acting Inspector General Duncan Mwapasa on Friday.
Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) brokered the peace talks.
CMD executive director Kizito Tenthani said the rising incidents of the political violence was a threat to democracy and could detail the forthcoming presidential election.
Mwapasa condemned the growing political violence.
“People are creating boundaries for their opponents; there is careless use of foul words by politicians and the youth have been turned into instruments of violence,” said Mwapasa.
He said the police will move to bring to book anyone found causing violence ahead of fresh presidential elections.
Tenthani said that political parties need to preach peace and ensure they take issue based campaign and not promote hatred and violence.
At the moment, according to Tenthani, police has agreed to provide maximum security to all political parties during campaign period.
On her part secretary general for governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Griezeder Jeffrey has urged people to respect police and desist from violence.
Meanwhile, secretary general for UTM Patricia Kaliati has said the party has advised its supporters to refrain from violence during and after this period.
This follows recent incidents one of which (a petrol bombing incident) has led to death of three people.
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I will not trust this Police IG he favours DPP cadets.He should first arrest those who burnt the UTM office in Lilongwe.
I don’t trust this cadet ig,first arrest those who Petrol bombed the UTM office and I’ll know ur serious,the ndirande suspects were arrested less than 24 hrs of the incident,but those murders of that family up to now no single arrest,but you know them,shame on you cadet ig
Malawians will definitely begin to rebuild trust in the Malawi Police Service and close the trust deficit that was created by the partisan behavior displayed by our MPS. If the Acting IG can translate his promise (to protect all parties) into action, then true peace will prevail in Malawi because we, Malawians are by our nature and history peace loving. But when our security agencies are tempted to apply selective justice like making quick arrests when acts of violence are perpetrated by the opposition parties and take absolutely no action when the ruling party cadets are involved in these acts… Read more »