Battles for Michiru Mountain

It is Sunday around 7:40 am when I set foot on one of the trails to Michiru Mountain Nature Sanctuary in Blantyre, currently under siege from illegal loggers.

It is partly foggy with some drizzles. Excitement is in the air as a group of hikers share highlights of their previous hikes across the Southern Region of Malawi.

Escorted by three armed police officers and five rangers in green fatigues, the group is somewhat assured of safety in case of threats and violent attacks by the gangs depleting the protected forests.

But as we approach the nature sanctuary’s Rest Rock, youthful hikers on descent warn us to go no further.

“The illegal loggers up the mountain threatened to beat us if we go any further,” says Jonathan Banda.

Regardless of the early warning, the police presence gives us a sense of safety to hike on until a din from sweaty illegal loggers could be heard.

The noise gets louder with every step we take and smoke from charcoal burning and brick curing comes into sight.

In no time, the loggers armed with axes, panga knives, hoes, sticks and metal bars could be seen screaming vile threats and warning us not to get any closer.

Silence engulfs our side as the illicit loggers sing obscenities, dance and pelt stones at us. They are not moved by warning shots in the air. Instead, their unprintable songs get louder.

In no time, angry men, women and children start charging towards us, prompting us to run away while police remain behind and shoot in the air to scare away our pursuers.

We all run helter-skelter as both police and forest rangers intensify the warning shots. Outnumbered, they, too, run for their lives.

“Zitsiru inu mwathawa. Musazabwereso mgodi ndi wathu [stupid hikers. Don’t ever come again. This is our goldmine],” the loggers’ ring leader is heard sneering.

For the hikers, it is mission aborted.

“That’s scary,” laments Malawi Broadcasting Corporation journalist Romeo Umali.

The startling experience mirrors the horrors several others have encountered when they go for peaceful hikes in the ransacked mountain.

Director of National Parks and Wildlife Brighton Kumchedwa says plans are underway to force the illegal loggers out of the protected reserve.

 “We are working on a plan to evict the illegal loggers, but I don’t want to go into details,” he says.

Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change Michael Usi says his ministry is actively coordinating with law enforcement agencies and local leaders to find a lasting solution to the “concerning situation” and protect the mountain and its surroundings.

 “We are deploying additional resources and implementing stricter measures to deter illegal logging and encroachments. We are also collaborating with local communities and stakeholders to raise awareness and promote sustainable practices,” he states.

The minister told The Nation in an earlier interview  that government “takes this matter seriously”.

We are committed to preserving our natural resources for future generations,” says Usi.

Concurring, Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule says the government will not relent until the illegal loggers are brought to justice.

Last year, government deployed soldiers to the endangered natures’ sanctuary to beef up security, but the armed forces could not stay longer “due to other commitments and resource constraints”

Said Kamtukule: “It would be an anomaly to assume that the soldiers would be there all the time because there is also an issue of logistics and resources.

“But we will not relent until we are satisfied that our protected areas are safe and that the gallant rangers who risk their lives every day to protect our forests are well taken care of. They are called protected areas for a reason.”

 Michiru Mountain Nature Sanctuary was established in 1975.

Lately, loggers have ransacked it, with some cutting down trees at industrial scale while others extract truckloads of soil for making bricks.

In November 2023, British High Commissioner Fiona Ritchie called for urgent action to reverse the plunder.

However, looting continues at an alarming rate and bare grounds are expanding fast, making the protected forest dangerous for hikers, tourists, learners, researchers, law enforcers and forest protectors.

Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi national chairperson Tiwonge Mzumara Gawa calls for greater and smarter coordination between the Department of Forestry and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to save the shrinking green space.

The ministry has to make and implement standardised operations in the areas of jurisdiction on Michiru Mountain which covers 46 square kilometres, he says.