By Suleman Chitera, Lilongwe, Malawi
The European Union has issued a stern warning to the Government of Malawi, threatening to suspend its support for police training programs following a violent crackdown on protestors in Lilongwe on Wednesday.
The incident, which occurred in broad daylight, saw peaceful demonstrators attacked by unidentified individuals wielding weapons, as members of the Malawi Police Service (MPS) and the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) looked on without intervening. The violence has sparked outrage both locally and internationally.
Speaking during a press briefing in Lilongwe, EU Ambassador to Malawi Rune Skinnebach expressed strong condemnation of the events, describing the behavior of the security forces as unacceptable.
“I was shocked, disappointed and disgusted by yesterday’s events,” Skinnebach said. “We have been giving support to police training but that is something we will have to reconsider if the police does not make good use of the training, if they seemingly don’t intend to play their role and if their mandate is undermined by instructions from somewhere else.”
The EU has been one of the major international partners supporting security sector reforms in Malawi, particularly focused on human rights, accountability, and community-based policing. However, Wednesday’s inaction by the police has raised serious concerns about the effectiveness and independence of the country’s security institutions.
Ambassador Skinnebach emphasized that the EU expects a prompt and impartial investigation into the violence.
“We demand a thorough investigation to identify those behind these attacks and ensure that they are held accountable,” he said. “The right to peaceful protest is fundamental in any democracy, and what happened yesterday flies in the face of those values.”
Videos circulating on social media show security forces standing idle as protestors were chased, beaten, and in some cases seriously injured by men armed with sticks and machetes. Human rights organizations have echoed the EU’s concerns and called for urgent action to restore public trust in Malawi’s security services.
So far, the Government of Malawi has not officially responded to the EU’s statement. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Homeland Security has announced that it will issue a comprehensive report once investigations are concluded.
As pressure mounts both locally and internationally, Malawians await to see whether those responsible for the violence—and those who failed to prevent it—will be brought to justice.
