Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for Malawi
Newsline: Malawi Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused of conniving with Kenya embassy staff to siphon money
As Malawians anxiously await the day when the court will make its determination on the case to do with the alleged embezzlement of huge sums of money by former staff at the Malawi Embassy in Ethiopia, murky details are emerging regarding how some officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lilongwe connived with their colleagues at the once closed Malawi Mission in Nairobi, Kenya to siphon money. According Malawi News revelation, it is believed that over half a billion Kwacha of taxpayers’ funds grew wings at the Malawi embassy in Kenya. Another puzzling factor is that when signatories to a bank account that was opened over the period November 2005 and December 2012 were being changed, the ministry opted to go with officers who were relatively junior ranked compared to those who were initially handling the task.
Newsline: US embassy warns of Malawi ‘large civil disturbance’ as ‘bloodsuckers’ mania spreads
The United States of America embassy in Lilongwe has warned its citizens in Malawi of a ” large civil disturbance ” in the southern region, advising them to take special care when visiting places as the ‘bloodsuckers’ saga is getting out of hand with its recent spread to commercial capital Blantyre. On Thursday the country recorded two deaths as lynch mobs killed two people in Blantyre, as public hysteria grows over “blood-sucking vampires”. A message, issued on Thursday to US citizens in the country, warned them to “maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security.” It advises the US citizens of a “large civil disturbance” disrupting traffic in Blantyre along Chileka Road near the intersection with the M1. Malawi Police deployed multiple officers and utilized tear gas to disperse the crowd, but tensions remain high, the statement said. US embassy said the the disturbances are related to fears in the community of persons attempting to steal blood—colloquially called “bloodsuckers.” “While these disturbances are not directed at U.S. citizens, you should avoid areas of demonstrations, and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations.” The UN have blacklisted several districts in Malawi as dangerous zones for staffers and nationals. Earlier this month the UN pulled staff out of two districts in southern Malawi.
Newsline: US Embassy fear Malawi ‘bloodsuckers’, withdraws volunteer workers
American Peace Corps volunteers working in four southern region districts have been temporarily withdrawn by the United States (US) Embassy in Lilongwe over reports about the presence of human bloodsuckers in Phalombe and Mulanje districts. More than 2 400 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Malawi since the programme was established in 1963. The US volunteers serve in Malawi working in the areas of education, environment and health. But in a security alert dated September 29 2017, the US embassy says it continue t to temporarily prohibit its staff from travelling to Mulanje due to ongoing acts of vigilante justice stemming from fevered rumours on vampires for rituals. “The US Embassy has instructed its personnel to exercise extreme caution when travelling to Thyolo, Chiradzulu and Phalombe districts due to reports of high tensions and threats of vigilante justice in those districts stemming from the same rumours,” reads the message on US Embassy website. It adds: “We strongly encourage US citizens to avoid travelling to Mulanje District and exercise caution if travelling to Thyolo, Chiradzulu and Phalombe districts, “The United States Peace Corps has temporarily removed its volunteers from all these districts.” For the past three weeks, there have been reports of ‘bloodsuckers’ in the four districts, a development that is forcing some people to sleep outside their houses at night. The myth about bloodsuckers in the district comes barely a week after three people were burned alive in Mulanje at Milonde in T/A Mabuka on suspicion that they were bloodsuckers.
https://www.nyasatimes.com/us-embassy-fear-malawi-bloodsuckers-withdraws-volunteer-workers/
Newsline: Fake US embassy officials conning Malawians
United States Embassy in Malawi has warned Malawians to be wary of fraudsters who are demanding money from people in order to offer them employment as Health Surveillance Assistants. In a statement issued, the embassy says it is aware of recent reports in Zomba of individuals purporting to represent the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) charging individuals to apply for employment as Health Surveillance Assistant. According to the statement, the swindlers later disappeared after collecting the money and did not provide the services promised. The US Embassy has condemned the act saying it does not charge anything for employment. “The CDC, and all other US government agencies operating in Malawi, do not charge individuals to apply for employment,” says the statement. It also warns Malawians that if they are asked to pay money to apply for a job with US Government, they should not pay and should immediately report the fraudsters to the Malawi Police Service (MPS) or to the US Embassy. Meanwhile, the US embassy is working hand in hand with the police to establish people behind the malpractice.
https://malawi24.com/2017/07/03/fake-us-embassy-officials-conning-malawians/
Newsline: Brazil to open embassy in Malawi
President Joyce Banda of Malawi has disclosed that the Brazilian government has agreed to open diplomatic ties with her government. According to the Malawi leader, Brazil is ready to open its first ever Embassy in Lilongwe in six months’ time.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/14108787-brazil-to-open-embassy-in-malawi
Newsline: Malawi diplomat arrested over K400 million fraud
Malawi anti-corruption authorities said Wednesday they had arrested a diplomat accredited to Kuwait in connection with a K400 million ($2.4 million) theft that allegedly took place in Malawi two years ago.
Newsline: Malawi to Re-Open Embassy in Kenya
Malawi plans to re-open its High Commission in Nairobi as part of its initiative to strengthen relations with Kenya. This was revealed after discussions between President Mwai Kibaki and his Malawian counterpart Joyce Banda who paid him a courtesy call at Speke Resort, Munyonyo in Kampala. The Malawian High Commission in Nairobi was closed ten years ago but its property remains intact. The two leaders who met on the sidelines of the 16th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Heads of State Summit agreed to strengthen relations between the two countries.
Newsline: Malawi and UK restore ties
Malawi and its former colonial power Britain formally re-established full diplomatic relations on Wednesday when London’s envoy Michael Nevin presented his credentials to President Joyce Banda. High Commissioner Nevin told reporters his presence “symbolised a new era and signified the re-establishment of the full bilateral relationship between the two countries” after a diplomatic spat that saw tit-for-tat expulsions. Britain’s previous envoy Fergus Cochrane-Dyet was booted from Malawi last year when a leaked diplomatic cable showed he had accused the late president Bingu wa Mutharika of “becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism”. London responded in kind. Malawi gained its independence from Britain in 1964 and London remains the biggest bilateral donor to the nation, where half the 14 million citizens live below the poverty line and on less than a dollar a day.
http://www.malawitoday.com/news/126661-malawi-and-uk-restore-ties
Newsline: Malawi reverses expulsion of British diplomat
Malawihas withdrawn its expulsion of Britain’s envoy, asked to leave in April after he was quoted expressing concern about the Malawian president’s intolerance of criticism and about deteriorating human rights here. Britain expelled Malawi’s envoy and suspended aid in response to the Malawi order that President Bingu wa Mutharika’s administration described as “unfortunate.”Malawisays the British envoy is free to return. AlsoMalawirevoked a four-year-old deportation order against the president of neighboring Zambia. Zambia’s Michael Sata, elected president last month, had been an opposition leader when he tried to visit a Malawian opposition leader in 2007. Sata refused to attend a regional summit this week in Malawi because of the incident.
http://m.billingsgazette.com/mobile/article_d8ccc29b-9566-53b3-9d18-ef098beb307b.html
Newsline: Malawi to expel British diplomat
The Malawi Government has given the British High Commissioner in that country, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet, three days to leave after allegedly describing President Bingu wa Mutharika as a dictator. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the British acting permanent under-secretary, Geoffrey Adams, on Tuesday summoned theMalawicharge d’affaires inLondonand conveyed the foreign secretary’s concern over the planned move. The matter arose following the discovery of a leaked diplomatic telegram sent from the British High Commission inMalawi’s capital,Lilongwe, toLondon, in which Cochrane-Dyet spoke on Mutharika’s leadership, thereby raising fears that political tension are likely to rise in 2014 after he steps down. President Mutharika, however, praised the British Government for its “steadfast” support of the former colony.
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