Malawi: Government Apologises to Mozambique for Stolen Charcoal

The government of Malawi has issued a public apology to its neighbour, Mozambique, over the actions of Malawian troops who crossed the border and stole charcoal from local traders.

The apology comes a week after the soldiers raided the border village of Calomue, a settlement in the Mozambican district of Angonia, in the north. They violently took 543 bags of charcoal from village vendors.

According to reports, the army personnel intended to sell the ill-gotten goods.

To ensure the two nations could “healthily co-exist”, a Malawian delegation – led by Dedza administrator, Emmanuel Mabulukutu – met with Angonia regional administrator, Paulo Sebastiao, on Monday, 16 March, to both apologise and hand over $2 400 as compensation.

Mabulukutu promised that there would be no future repeats of such behaviour.

The crowd present at the meeting praised the interaction, and the authorities’ mutual respect for each other, despite the embarrassing incident.