As tensions escalate between Malawi and Tanzania on territorial claims, a new study has exposed widespread confusion among communities along the border about the true location of their land.
The research released December, 2024 shows many landowners believe their land parcels lie in one country when they actually fall in the other.
Analysts warn this could damage the relations between the two countries already locked in Lake Malawi ownership tussle.
The report is titled Adjudication and Demarcation of Land Parcels in Cross-Border Areas – A Case of Malawi-Tanzania Border at Songwe-Nkhanga.
Songwe is located in Karonga District.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences and Tanzania-based Ardhi University.
It reveals that 7.35 percent of landowners think their parcels are in Tanzania, but are in Malawi while 3.76 percent believe they own land in Malawi that is actually in Tanzania.
This accounts for 11.11 percent of surveyed land parcels affected by misconceptions about the international boundary.
“This depicts the level of unawareness of the actual boundary by the local communities,” the study notes, raising concerns about how such confusion could also complicate land reform projects.
The research focused on a 9.6-kilometre stretch of dry land within the 474.756 km Malawi-Tanzania border.
Out of 364 parcels surveyed, 35 parcels (10.50 percent) straddle the international boundary, covering 28.56 hectares while 34 parcels (11.11 percent) fall along the boundary as interpreted by locals.
“This shows a considerable number of landholders affected by the international boundary between Malawi and Tanzania,” the report explains.
It warns that their “land registration status during land reform projects [being conducted separately by both countries] will be compromised”.
The report further highlights that Malawians dominate the area, making up to 78.3 percent of landowners compared to 21.7 percent Tanzanians.
Inter-marriages and cultural exchanges between the two communities further complicate landholding and registration, it says.
“There’s a chance of inter-marriages between Tanzanians and Malawians which can also influence the landholding status in terms of land registration due to differences in cultures,” the study notes.
The report calls on Malawi and Tanzania to urgently review their legal frameworks and harmonise land registration processes through bilateral agreements.
“A thorough analysis of relevant bilateral agreements and domestic legislation pertaining to adjudication and demarcation of land parcels between Malawi and Tanzania should be conducted,” it recommends.
The study also emphasises the importance of involving stakeholders, legal experts and international organisations to address inconsistencies and ensure security for landowners.
This development comes amid a dispute between Tanzania and Malawi over the lake deepened after Dodoma constructed the Mbamba Bay Port on the contested lake waters earlier this year.
Besides, the Tanzanian government has now instructed teachers to use a map that depicts the border between Tanzania and Malawi on Lake Malawi as running through the middle of its upper half, not along the shoreline.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not responded to our questionnaire on the new study findings as we went to press yesterday.
In his reaction, Parliamentary Committee on International Relations chairperson Patrick Bandawe asked the government to resolve the land confusion with Tanzania.
“We recommend to the government to assess the report and if contented, initiate negotiations to prevent further disputes. What we need is peace with Tanzania,” he said in a phone interview yesterday.
Meanwhile, international relations analyst Sherif Kaisi observed that the community’s confusion was understandable, considering that people on the borders have co-existed for a long time.
He, however, advised the Malawi Government to be resolute in the land confusion and the Lake Malawi dispute.
“Diplomatic talks should continue. However, as we are dialoguing, it doesn’t mean we should be soft.
“Malawi should be aggressive and insist the territory belongs to us. Let us learn from our former president Kamuzu Banda who insisted Malawi is not ceding part of the lake or any land to Tanzania.
“Kamuzu said you play with the lake, you are playing with fire. Why should Tanzania today claim our border and threaten our internal security?” he quizzed.
