Tanzania’s hide and seek on Lake Malawi talk angers Govt

May 15, 2017 Politics 64
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Lake Malawi

The Malawi Government has expressed concern over sudden cancellation of the mediation talks on the Lake Malawi boundary dispute with Tanzania which were scheduled to take place in South Africa, on 8th and 9th May, 2017.

According to a statement released by government, the postponement further protracts the conclusion of the matter on the resumption of the mediation process which emanated from the meeting President Peter Mutharika had with his counterpart President John Pombe Magufuli on the sidelines of the African Union Assembly Ethiopia, on 30th January.

“During the meeting, the two leaders resolved that the mediation process on the Lake Malawi boundary dispute be revived after a prolonged break since March 2014.

Tanzania, Malawi taking different stands on Lake Malawi ownership

“Consequently, former Joaquim Chissano, former President of the Republic of Mozambique and the Chairperson of the High Level Mediation Team (HLMT) invited Malawi and Tanzania to resume the mediation talks which were scheduled to take place from 8th to 9th May, 2017.

“Malawi confirmed its participation after consultations with Tanzania. However, on 4th May, 2017, the Government of Malawi received communication on the postponement of the meeting by the Chairperson of the HLMT at the instance of the Government of Tanzania,” says the statement.

Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi dispute rages on.

According to the statement, at the meeting the mediation team was expected to advise the two on the next course of action.

“The HLMT was of the view that through the benefits accrued in the process, the boundary dispute would eventually be resolved but both Malawi and Tanzania delegations did not agree with the HLMT on the proposal and reaffirmed that the boundary issue be resolved first.

“The HLMT, therefore, promised to proceed on the basis of submissions by the two countries and advise on the next course of action at the subsequent meeting,” says the statement.

Malawi and Tanzania have been fighting over the ownership of part of the lake since 2012.

Malawi maintains that the boundary is the shoreline of Lake Malawi as established by Article 1(2) of the 1890 Anglo-German Treaty hence the lake belongs to Malawi in its entirety.

On the other hand, Government of Tanzania claims that the boundary is the median line of the lake based on principles of customary international law. It even produced a new map showing the disputed portion of the lake as part of Tanzania.

Recently, High Commissioner of Tanzania to Malawi Victoria Mwakasege told the media that her government wants to have a share of the oil which Malawi plans to drill.

But Malawi has expressed concern over the remarks saying this has never been Tanzania’s position from the beginning.

The Lake Malawi dispute started way back in the 1960s but the current wrangle began after Malawi awarded licences to various companies to search for oil and gas on the lake.

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64 Comments

  3. It’s pretty clear, that lake is lake malawi not lake Tanzania. …..They have theirs called lake Tanganyika…. We should waste not time on this …but let us see how we can put it in use with respect to preserve the environment .

  4. Kamuzu in 1973 said “Tampering with lake Malawi is playing with fire;this whole issue was put to rest for over 30yrs .

  10. Malawi as the nation should hire North Korea to fight for us…….ife zitivuta zibonga za atsilikali athu zomwe zija anasiya Kamuzu until now still in use…….Ma tata anafuchilira long-time anyway let us use ufiti omwe tilinawo to conquer this stupid neighbour! ! Njuchi all over in Tanzania and bite swahiris non stop!!

  12. Palibe chochambilanapo apa,kodi bwanji dziko la Tanzaniali silinayambe ndolo-ndolo zaozo nthawi yasamunda, kamuzu,Bakili kapena Bingu?.Apa zikuonetsa kuti chifukwa chamkazi Joyce Banda yemwe anayamba kulamula mkuona anthu a Tanzania anayamba kutilowa kufuna kutitola ubwana,choncho pachilungamo iyi ndintchito yoti atsilikali anthu ayambepo.Apite akamange matenti komweko kunyanjako ofuna kukambilana ndife azikakambilana ndi atsilikaliwo,chifukwa ife monga ayini nyanja tilibe nthawi yokambilana ndi anthu ofuna kuba.

  23. PLEASE! MY HONOUR TO THE TWO RESPECTED SOVEREIGN-STATES OF MALAWI AND TANZANIA: I, VERY SINCERELY AND HONESTLY TRUST AND KNOW THAT IN BOTH COUNTRIES THERE ARE WELL EDUCATED HISTORIANS WHO KNOW FAR MUCH BETTER WHICH CAME FIRST ON THIS LAKE BOUNDARY DISPUTE: THE 1890 ANGLO-GERMAN TREATY AND THE PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW BY THE UNITED-NATIONS WHICH SAYS THE BOUNDARY IS THE MEDIAN LINE OF THE LAKE?? AND WHEN WAS THE U.N. FOUNDED?? THOUGH IAM NEITHER HISTORIAN NOR A LAWYER, I DO INVITE THE NONE-PARTIALITY JUDGE TO LOOK AND STUDY THOSE QUESTIONS WITH DELIGENCE AS WE SHALL ALL STAND BEFORE GOD THAT DAY TO ANS FOR OUR DEEDS EITHER THEY B GOOD OR BAD. PLEASE LET’S AVOID THE UN-NECESARY HATRED AND POOR SCRAMBLES THAT LEAD TO UN-NECESARY WARS,DEATHS AND BLOOD-SHED OF INNOCENT PEOPLE SUCH AS CHILDREN,WOMEN,OLD PEOPLE AND STUDENTS SUCH AS IS NOW HAPENNING IN MOST PARTS OF OUR CONTINENT AFRICA TO-DAY: GOD FORBID!! AMEN!! YOURS: REV. CHALU CHIBISA BANDA.!!!

  25. Nkhani iyi kuyitengera zibwana,idzetsa mavuto akulu pakati pa mayiko awiriwa.Nkhani iyi nyanjayi ilepheleka kukozedwa mwabata chufukwa cha anthu andale.ndipo zikufunika munthu mmodzi wandale kuchokera ku Tanzania or Malawi agonje ndikuvomera chilichose chomwe chingakozedwe ndi anthu womwe akuyendetsa nkhaniyi.koma mukayitengera kuti anthu anga andichotsa pampando kapena anthu andiwona kupepela,muwona kuti zotsatilazake ndikuwombelana basi.May God bless Malawi and Tanzania,we are the true sons and daughters of African.

    1. zoona amwene. koma zofunika aitanenso joachim chisano uja abwele coz tz akudziwa kuti nyanja ndi ya a Malawi koma ndi dala. chifukwa anaipasa dzina loti lake Malawi siife ayi ndiye iwowo a tz satana angowagwira chifukwa chomva kuti muli oil bac. magufuli kunalibe muthalika kunalibe analipo ndi kamuzu ndi nyerere bac

  27. Joyce Banda got so annoyed with TZ while she quashed negotiations and got herself prepared for any provocative actions from Magufuli why should we today cry for negotiations while they want to rob us , stop immediately about talking to TZ they are arrogant and they there is no news here, chawo palibe why shud we get sick of Magufuli to make us have sleepless nights bullshit!

  29. Seriously we can’t win a war against TZ. They can send our already whack nation back to stone age. Asiyireni atenge nyanjayo basi.. Haha!

    7. he is not Malawian 100%,why he speak such rubbish thingx.Lake Malawi is ours whether you lyk or not,may be he Masai.

    9. Why are u morons mad? This nation will not even benefit a dime from the fuel in that lake. We sign stupid deals and its our pot-bellied fools in the corridors of power that benefit. Rememba the Kayerekera deal? What a fuck did we benefit from that mine u imbeciles.. Open ur eyes its politicians who are enjoying from sich while u maggots whine on facebook. Olo atatenga nyanja a TZ ife kambali kenako katikwanabe.

    10. wecan win this war boy have ben in war with malawi becareful for what ujust say boy have you ben in malawi army base befor ? ofunika upite ukawone zimene amapanga asilikali aku malawi akapita kukhondo ndi akaswili oziwakhondotu awa ukuwaneka ngati sunabadwile ku malawi kuno iwe forainer

    11. wecan win this war boy have ben in war with malawi becareful for what ujust say boy have you ben in malawi army base befor ? ofunika upite ukawone zimene amapanga asilikali aku malawi akapita kukhondo ndi akaswili oziwakhondotu awa ukuwaneka ngati sunabadwile ku malawi kuno iwe forainer

  31. Where were these multiparty adivocate?omasulira kodi abongoloro amenewa analikuti? Kodi atanzaniawa nthawi yakamuzuanalikuti? Tiitana korea

  41. Firtly let me narrate the history,it says Songwe river marks the boundary of Malawi and Tanzania and that Songwe River is the INlet of Lake malawi this means the Lake Malawi is Far away from Tanzania and that its definately cant belong to Tanzania and if is a case of Lake Malawi be expanding to the neighbors territory then we have to deal with that matter Like building a fence around the marks and its True Lake Malawi belongs to Malawi all of it in all weathers I mean ngakhale mu chilimwe ndiyathu

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