The Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has expressed worry over the use of guns in the escalating political violence ahead of the September 16 2025 Tripartite Elections.
PAC chairperson Monsignor Patrick Thawale said on Friday this new pattern of violence has potential to make Malawi reach a crossroads in the midst of the 2025 electoral process.
Thawale said this in his speech made available to Nation on Sunday he delivered during a Malawi Peace and Unity Commission and PAC memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony on conflict prevention, management and resolution in Lilongwe on Friday.
pattern of violence. I Nation
He said: “The 2025 electoral process has been greeted with political and electoral violence. There is a new pattern of violence characterised by pangas and gunshots. We further note that pangas have come into play even in managing demonstrations.
“PAC condemns this pattern in strongest terms. This is barbaric and old fashioned.”
Thawale said it is anticipated, through the MoU with the Malawi Peace and Unity Commission, the new pattern of violence will be dealt with through, among others, dialogue and collaboration.
He said beyond the MoU, PAC is looking forward to enhancing cooperation and collaboration with other civil society organisations involved in peace-building at both local and national level.
While stating that it is important to maintain the spirit of mutual respect and common understanding, Thawale said collaborative efforts have potential to end violence ahead of the elections; hence, ensuring peace prevails.
In her speech, Malawi Peace and Unity Commission chairperson Bishop Mary Nkosi said the commission remains guided by principles of the Constitution which highlights negotiation, mediation and conciliation in resolving differences.
She said: “We are further reminded that peace is not the absence of disagreement-it is the presence of just and inclusive systems to manage those disagreements. The journey ahead will require us to listen deeply, act with humility and respond to conflict not with force, but with understanding and courage.
“To the leadership of PAC, we extend our deepest gratitude for your unwavering commitment to the peace agenda. Your institutional wisdom, religious insight and legacy of dialogue remain an invaluable asset to our national peace architecture.”
Nkosi said the MoU seeks to formalise cooperation in several key areas such as enhancing national and local mediation structures, sharing technical expertise and mediation experiences, strengthening coordination mechanisms, promoting community dialogue and interfaith understanding and contributing to a culture of peace, dignity and dialogue in Malawi.
The MoU which we have seen, among others, seeks to operationalise the Peace and Unity Act (2022) by cooperating with persons or institutions for purposes of peace and unity in Malawi.
It reads in part: “The parties have developed the MoU with a spirit of strengthening partnership between PAC, as an inside mediator, and Malawi National Peace and Unity Commission, as a national focal point, in a bid to foster conflict management, prevention and resolution in Malawi.
“It aims at developing a common understanding on various responsibilities in the field of dialogue and mediation.”
The timeframe and confidentiality of the MoU stipulates that it shall subsist for a five-year period and may be reviewed as deemed appropriate at the suggestion of either party and that it may further be renewed for a period to be determined by parties involved.
