Background
In March, President Lazarus Chakwera declared a national state of disaster in 23 of 28 districts affected by El Niño conditions.
In October the World Bank reported that 71% of the population were living in extreme poverty.
Right to food
In October, the World Food Programme said that 5.7 million people were acutely food insecure and in need of food assistance as a result of floods, drought brought on by El Niño, poor harvests, currency devaluation and inflation. Prices of staple foods, including maize, nearly doubled in one year and tripled against the five-year average.
Earlier, in March, President Chakwera said that a preliminary government report found that 749,113 hectares of maize fields – nearly half the national crop area – was damaged by insufficient rain, floods and prolonged dry spells, leading to sharp rises in prices and food insecurity. The government invested in the irrigation sector and provided emergency food assistance in cooperation with partners.
Discrimination
International NGO Standing Voice recorded four attempted attacks on persons with albinism between January and August. In July, four men were each sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment, and a fifth to life plus 50 years in prison, for killing a three-year-old girl with albinism in Kasungu in 2022.
In June the Constitutional Court ruled to uphold the ban on consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults.1
Freedom of expression and assembly
Journalists faced intimidation and prosecution. In January, Gregory Gondwe was forced to flee Malawi after publishing an article on the Platform for Investigative Journalism website, alleging corruption in the military.2 In April, Macmillan Mhone was arrested in Blantyre and charged with “publishing false news” in connection with a 2023 article alleging that the government conducted business with a man facing corruption and fraud charges. His case did not go to trial.
In May, police failed to protect opposition Alliance for Democracy members from attacks by suspected members of the Malawi Congress Party ahead of the former’s rally in Mponela, Dowa district, or to arrest their attackers.
Torture and other ill-treatment
The Malawi Human Rights Commission recorded the use by police of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees, prolonged detention without charge and the unnecessary transfer of detainees across districts.
In January, a 13-year-old boy was reportedly held for around four days in Misanjo Police Unit, Mulanje district, during which time his hands were bound with rubber bands. This caused circulation problems which necessitated the amputation of one hand and two fingers from the other hand. Two officers went on trial for grievous bodily harm in August.
Refugees’ and migrants’ rights
In January, civil society organization Inua Advocacy recorded at least six cases of xenophobic attacks by members of the public against refugees working as motorcycle taxi drivers. Inua Advocacy also recorded incidents of corruption within the resettlement programme, and of bribery and extortion allegedly by government officials and non-state actors, in Dzaleka refugee camp.
