Dry spell victims facing starvation, Muslims warn

Following the dry spells that have hit the Lower Shire districts of Nsanje and Chikhwawa, the Muslims Association of Malawi (MAM) has warned that people of the two districts will die of hunger if they do not receive humanitarian assistance.

MAM’s Secretary General Sheikh Twaibu Lawi made the remarks at Berewu in Chikhwawa where his organization distributed 50 kilogram bags of maize to over 5, 000 people.

Speaking to Malawi24 in an interview, Sheikh Lawi who was also accompanied by the Association’s District Chairperson for Chikhwawa Zaheer Gaffar Issa who is also Member of Parliament for Chikhwawa Central and Treasurer Illias Karim who is also Member of Parliament for Chikhwawa South, said his organization will continue with its efforts to distribute the relief food items to the underprivileged people as one way of ensuring that they are not hit by the wrath of hunger in Chikhwawa.

According to the MAM Secretary General, the organization has on several occasions been distributing relief food items to needy households from December last year and has promised to continue up to May this year.

“Let me emphasize here that with support from the Revival Islamic Heritage Society, African Continent, the Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) will continue distributing the relief food items until the problem is contained,” emphasized Lawi.

According to Agriculture authorities in Nsanje and Chikhwawa, the dry spells have mainly affected the areas of Tengani, Mlolo and Ndamera in Nsanje as well as Maseya, Ngabu, and Chapananga in Chikhwawa.