Over 13,000 Mozambicans flee to Malawi amid post-election violence

Thousands of Mozambicans have fled to Malawi to escape the violence sparked by disputed presidential elections in October.

The latest statistics show that Malawi has received around 13,000 refugees from Mozambique in recent weeks, many of them women and children. Authorities say the number is expected to rise.

Sofia Jimu, a traditional leader of the Tengani area in Mozambique, is among those who fled to Malawi. She said that the lack of food is the main challenge in the evacuation center where she is located, adding that three children collapsed from hunger in just one day. However, she said, the next day she received 150 bags of corn flour and four bags of beans, which she distributed to people in the center.

Political tensions in Mozambique escalated after the Constitutional Council confirmed Daniel Chapo, the presidential candidate of the ruling Frelimo party, as the winner of the October 9 election.

Runner-up Venancio Mondlane, the presidential candidate of the opposition party Podemos, disputes the results.

Plataforma Decide, a monitoring group in Mozambique, says more than 200 people have been killed since post-election protests began in October.

Dominic Mwandira, Malawi’s Nsanje District Commissioner, told VOA on Sunday that the biggest challenge is the lack of resources to care for asylum seekers who are currently staying in makeshift camps near the border.

“In terms of food, then non-food items, tents, water issues, there are a few,” he said. “But we are happy that partners have started coming, the government is coming to support these people.”

He said organizations offering assistance include the Malawi Red Cross Society and Plan International.

Jane Mweziwina, Program Area Manager for Plan International in Malawi, told reporters that they are working to ensure the protection of new arrivals.

“You know that women, people with disabilities and children are always vulnerable when they are in a crisis like this. So, our advice to the management is to take special care of these special groups of people in terms of accommodation, security, even in terms of food,” she said.

Malawian authorities say plans are underway to move asylum seekers to a more spacious centre.

Meanwhile, the Department of Refugees of Malawi and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Malawi are conducting a joint assessment to identify the needs of asylum seekers.