Army called out as Malawi hit by massive protests

AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE

Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika gives an interview with AFP on July 18, 2011 in Lilongwe.

Police threw tear gas and fired live bullets in the air to disperse thousands of Malawians who took to the street to protest against President Bingu wa Mutharika's government.

People were stopped from marching following of an injunction that Mutharika supporters obtained in the middle of the night restraining the organisers of the protest from proceeding with the protest, however the organisers went to court to challenge the injunction.

Court delay to lift the injunction angered thousands of people who later took upon themselves, after enduring a five hours waiting, to start marching to the Blantyre City Council offices where they were expected to deliver a petition.

Donning red attires and singing songs denouncing the Mutharika regime, an estimated 4000 people in Blantrye joined civil society leaders, politicians and religious leaders in the march.

Things get out of hand when news filtered in that the court has granted the organisers permission to proceed with the march, the noise that followed forced police to start shooting in the air and throw tear gas at the people.

The scuffle led to shops breaking and looting and increasing violence. Unconfirmed reports indicate that one person has been killed in Blantyre.

About 50 organisers of the protest across the country are said to have been arrested.

Meanwhile the government has invited Malawi Defence Force soldiers to reinforce the security as situation was getting out of hand.

“The situation is very bad here,” Human Rights Commission spokesman Mike Chipalasa told AFP.

“There have been running battles between the police and demonstrators,” he said. “People are angry. The situation is tense,” Mr Chipalasa said.

One witness told AFP that protesters ransacked two Lilongwe businesses owned by lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Progress Party.

Meanwhile, in the northern town of Mzuzu, two vehicles and DPP offices were also torched, witnesses said by telephone.

“The police were overwhelmed here by the crowd of people, although they finally suppressed the rioting crowd,” Chipalasa said.

“The demonstrators were just angry for being not allowed to march by police. They resorted to looting,” he added.

A coalition of more than 80 rights groups had organised nationwide marches for Wednesday to protest the soaring cost of living and moves by President Mutharika to control the media and limit street protests.

Another group calling itself “Concerned Citizens” then announced a rival march in support of the government.

In the end, the court banned both demonstrations to prevent “possible disruptions and undesirable incidents”.

The opposition has denounced Mutharika for failing to smooth over a diplomatic row with Britain, after London suspended economic aid to its former colony.

Relations between the two countries were strained in April when a leaked British diplomatic cable accused Mutharika of “becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism”.

The spat saw both countries withdraw their ambassadors, while London last week suspended around £19 million ($30.7 million, 21.7 million euros) of budgetary aid meant for anti-poverty programmes in one of the world’s poorest countries.