LILONGWE (Nyasatimes) — Malawi Police at Lumbadzi in Lilongwe have arrested 169 Ethiopian refugees who were attempting to escape from Dzaleka refugee camp in Dowa.
This is the fourth time in three months police have arrested such a huge number of Ethiopians trying to flee the country using unlawful means. Most of these Ethiopians enter the country using unchartered routes in Northern districts of Malawi.
Lumbadzi Police Officer-in-Charge Effie Sato said the Ethiopians were arrested on Tuesday after getting a tip from the public who became suspicious with huge group of strange people.
“The refugees were taking a rest at a Chinese shop and some people got fishy with them and reported to our office,” said the Lumbadzi police boss.
The refugees are said to have carried maize and water and were reportedly heading for Zimbabwe.
“We are currently facilitating to take them back to the camp. We arrested them because they had no travel documents,” said the Officer-in-Charge.
According to Sato, one of the refugees, who was the only one who could communicate in English, said they decided to flee the camp because they are encountering myriad hitches at the camp like poor diet and sanitation.
The refugee also explained that five of their countrymen have died this year due to poor diet and healthy facilities and were buried right there.
Over 600 Ethiopian Refugees have been arrested this year alone for attempting to escape the camp for greener pastures in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Two weeks ago, group and village headmen surrounding Dzaleka Refugee camp asked government to urgently find means of instilling discipline among the Ethiopian asylum seekers.
The development came after the foreigners invaded Mengwe village in the area of T/A Chikukula where they stole maize while the owners were busy attending a funeral.
Group Village Headman Mengwe warned that if government does not do anything they would take law into their own hands because they were tired with the rotten behaviour of the Ethiopians.
The Ethiopians are said to be fighting indigenous Malawians, raping girls and old women and stealing from the surrounding villages, among others.
“We want government to take action urgently because we have been patient enough with these foreigners and the situation is now getting out of hand.
“People are living in fear in their own country because the Ethiopians are not only invading the villages during the day but also night, a situation that poses danger to their lives and property. If government is not assisting us we have the means to deal with the situation ourselves,” said the angry village, whose area is well known for gule wankulu cult.
There are currently over 8000 asylum seekers at Dzaleka camp from various countries like Somalia, Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, Djibouti but the Ethiopians are said to be the most nuisance.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is indeed the darkest period in Ethiopia’s history where Ethiopians are humiliated inside their own country and around the world.
10 thoughts on “Malawi Police arrest 169 refugees from Ethiopia”
unbelivable
This is a deliberate action of the Woyane government to depopulate the nation, scatter people like Jews. Woyane has no religion. Ethiopia is ruled by pagans. Let us change this situation. We are the most despised refugees in the world. Do you sleep well reading such a miserable story.
To every Ethiopians young and old, male or female, intellectual or no intellectual, diaspora or living in the country, everyone… The situation in our country is worsening. Every body has to rise-up and fight the enemy. Never had the country fallen in shumbles. The young men and women are leaving their country. That is what they want. They are erasing hope from the mind of the youngster by injecting cowardice. Specially they want the youngster to feel so careless or see him shrug on matter of his country if not they prefer them leave the country. The enemy from top is destroying the country. No more talk. The more the regime is in power the more the countryis destroyed and perishs away. So before it is too late let us rise up and show them who we are.
What a poor country with ugly-minded leader. Don’t you have a rebellion men and women in Ethiopia? What a shame! Ethiopian are begging for life in Malawi, and Zimbabwe. We must stop this thing my fellow people. Love and Peace
Thast is true Elias, “Ethiopians are humiliated inside their own country and around the world.” Sad and shameful !!
Are we in a position to be selective of our partners in the fighting against TPLF?
No, we are not. We should work ith anybody including Eritrea to tople the TPLF.
Tekaligne
I have been proud of my country, telling people wherever I go that Ethiopians are well-behaved, cultured, and morally strong people. Now this devastating story! I cannot take it anymore and I don’t want to hear it again. Here the good cultures that make Ethiopia unique from other states of Africa have been smeared, perhaps, forever by such unbelievable story. Meles, the Almighty God will never forgive you.
Hey guys,
Ethiopians have been refugees eversince the military took over power. What’s more, the population of Ethiopia is exploding at an alarming rate. Before the so called revolution, the population was around 25 million. In the 1980s it doubled to 50 million and now it is at 80 million posed to take over Egypt within a few years!! What is going on here? Are we planning for the future. Take Egypt for instance, the second largest population in Africa. Graduates are finding it extremely difficult to find a decent job and many are a burden to their family!! This is also happenning in Ethiopia. Graduates with 3.5 GPA are still looking for a job. It has been 20 years since I left Ethiopia. TO my dismay, I have found out that former colleague of mine,who is a government mployee,is now a father of 6 children! What is the future for these children? Should we always say `Bedelu yeedg`? Come on guys, I don`t see the logic of heaping everything on bad governance. Instead, we should stop breeding like mosquitoes; we should control our carnal habits and plan for the future in a proper and logical way.
I dont bilive any story Malawi police report. All is lies. Why Ethiopians act like that when refugee? No Ethiopian abuse ppl, rape ppl and Malawi girls. We have beautifull Ethiopians why rape less good looking Malawi. Not True. Refugees went to Malawi? No. They go to South Africa Zimbawie lookin for peaceful life and work.
Sad TIME for all Ethiopians
The oppostions should have taken advantaage of this situation. They should have travelled to this areas and visited this refugees and take them to some remote areas in Somalia or somewhere to fight back the EPRDF.
I am very confident the refugees will do that as long as they are provided shelter and food.
The oppostions only they know how to TALK but not to ACT.
Tariku guta
Don’t try to encourage people to go to war and sacrifice their lives while u sit comfortably in western countries! Are u prepared to go to?