Malawi detain 52 Ethiopian illigal migrants
Police in Karonga have arrested 52 Ethiopians who entered Malawi without requisite documents in another spate of illegal immigration bringing into question the country’s border security.
The youthful group escaping the Horn of Africa looked frail and farmished when security officers pounced on their hideout in Chiwondo Hills, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kyungu on Sunday.
According to Karonga Police spokesperson Enock Livason, the security personnel zeroed in on the hideout following an alert from locals who were astonished by the sight of a Malawian intermediary carrying a bag of bread.
When asked, Livason said: “We received a tip-off from members of the community that one Malawian was seen disembarking a minibus with a sack full of bread heading into the bush. Following the alert, the police found 52 Ethiopian nationals who were hiding in Chiwondo Hills and they did not have travelling documents.”
The immigrants, who comprise young men under the age of 30 and a slightly older ringleader, have since been charged with illegal entry.
The Immigration Department estimates that 200 illegal immigrants enter the country every month, but its spokesperson sergeant Comet Jeremiah says the number has been on the wane since May due to the drying of bushes where they hide in transit to their unknown destination thought to be South Africa.
