A Tanzanian vessel reaching Malawi waters without interception has raised fears over gaps in the country’s security systems.
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) is demanding answers from authorities on why this happened.
CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa says Parliament must summon security chiefs to explain how the vessel managed to enter Lake Malawi and dock at Monkey Bay, an area near the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Marine Headquarters.
The organisation argues that the incident raises questions about the ability of Malawi’s marine security departments to detect and respond to possible threats along the country’s borders.
“It is simply inconceivable that this could happen in broad-day light when we have fully funded marine departments at both the MDF and the MPS, with taxpayers’ money,” Namiwa said in a statement.
CDEDI says the MDF and Malawi Police Service (MPS) marine units are responsible for protecting the country’s territorial waters and ensuring the safety of citizens and their property.
The organisation has since written to Parliament’s Defence and Security Committee, asking it to summon heads of the MDF, MPS and National Intelligence Service (NIS) to provide an explanation.
Namiwa said the matter has attracted public attention and requires urgent action to restore confidence in the country’s security systems.
The Defence and Security Committee had not responded to the request by the time of publication.
