Two Lilongwe UTM arson victims die: Mother and child

One of the children who was seriously injured in arson attack in Lilongwe allegedly by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadets and her mother have died of their injuries.

Kamuzu Central Hospital officials have said Shukran Tambala  and his mother Ayiles Tambala  have died Wednesday  night and early morning of Thursday respectively at the facility where he was receiving medical care.

A family of eight was petrol bombed by suspected DPP cadets at UTM offices in Area 22.

Police and DPP officials are mum on the matter but both Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera and his UTM counterpart Saulos Chilima  – the presidential pair for the opposition Tonse Allaince under the banner of MCP – described it as an act of terrorism by the DPP ahead of the Constitutional Court sanctioned presidential election on July 2.

Out of the eight family members, only one have been discharged from hospital.

UTM District Governor for Lilongwe Livan Phiri has described the situation as ‘heartbroken’.

“We are heart-broken and very confused, now that we have two bodies in the same family on our hands,” Phiri said.

According to an earlier programme, Shukran’s burial was planned for  Thursday but as it is now, the family members need to consult on how best to handle the situation.

Ayiles died from the KCH’s High Dependence Unit [HDU] where she and her husband Seleman were admitted to after the arson attack.

Unknown assailants reportedly used motor vehicle tyres and petrol to bomb the offices with seven people inside.

The incident, which is said to have happened around midnight, follows other attacks targeted at opposition political party supporters one of which left a vehicle belonging to UTM Eastern Region Director of Women Hasheeda Hussein severely burnt.

Both the opposition parties and human right groups in strongest terms bemoaned political violence.