Malawi vulnerable to arms smuggling—IG

Inspector General of Police Lot Dzonzi says the geographical location of Malawi and lack of scanning equipment in its borders make the country vulnerable to arms smuggling.

Speaking during the firearms destruction exercise at Area 30 in Lilongwe on Thursday, Dzonzi said since Malawi shares borders with Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania, smugglers find it easier to bring arms into the country.

Said Dzonzi: “Since as a country we share our borders with Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania, this, therefore, makes the country vulnerable to arms smuggling. A few foreign fire arms continue being found in the country due to lack of scanning equipment in our borders as they enter the country undetected.”

He said despite capacity challenges experienced by the Malawi Police Service, the community policing programme as well as various stakeholders have led to the confiscation of over 3 127 illicit firearms.

According to Dzonzi, out of the number of illicit guns confiscated by the police, two antique firearms were voluntarily handed over to parks officials while others were recovered through tips by the public.

“We will continue destroying these firearms to safeguard lives of Malawians as well as wildlife in the national parks and game reserves. The destruction of firearms is in line with the United Nations Programme of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons,” he said.

Director of Parks and Wildlife, Brighton Kumchedwa, commended the police for destroying the firearms, saying the number of illicit guns in circulation has been drastically reduced.

“Destroying the guns is the way to go and this will help us safeguard our animals in the parks,” said Kumchedwa.