Malawi Police Service has today put on public auction at least 70 shipping containers and other items seized from refugees during a 2023 forced relocation exercise.
A public notice issued by Lilongwe-based Connect Auctioneers on behalf of the police indicates that the items include 20 foot 40-foot containers, van containers, weighing scales, tarpaulins and several smaller goods.
Chimtembo. | Nation
The auction is scheduled for National Police Headquarters in Area 30, Lilongwe from 9am to 3.30pm with participation fees ranging from K20 000 to K4 million.
When contacted yesterday, National Police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo said he needed time to respond as he was attending a meeting. He later referred The Nation to his deputy Alfred Chinthere, but he did not pick up his mobile phone.
The planned auction follows a High Court of Malawi ruling last year which ordered the release of some confiscated containers and other items to the affected refugees who came forward and claimed their seized property.
In an interview yesterday, Inua Advocacy chief executive officer Innocent Magambi said prioritising the removal of containers deemed unclaimed through public auction before releasing those with identified owners was a worrying development.
“The current approach reflects a concerning misalignment of priorities and overlooks the continued hardship faced by the affected refugees,” he lamented.
It is almost three years since the items were confiscated during a government operation that relocated about 2 000 refugees and asylum seekers from urban areas to Dzaleka Refugee Camp as part of a broader plan targeting about 8 000 refugees living outside the camp.
