The leadership dispute within the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) is weakening civil society’s ability to hold government to account, with the ad hoc leadership admitting that the organisation’s internal divisions have compromised its watchdog role.
HRDC Ad hoc vice chairperson Sammy Aaron said the divisions were damaging the credibility of an organization expected to serve as a watchdog on governance and human rights issues.
“We cannot hold government to account when we are not accountable ourselves,” Aaron said.
He was speaking in Blantyre on Wednesday during a meeting with HRDC members from the Southern Region to update them on the leadership dispute and the progress of a court case involving the two camps.
Aaron said the High Court in Lilongwe on July 21, 2026 ordered the ad hoc group and the incumbent HRDC leadership to undergo mediation.
He said the two sides met twice but failed to reach an agreement, meaning the court-ordered mediation did not materialize.
According to Aaron, the matter has since returned to court for a full trial after the two sides failed to agree on proposals tabled during the mediation process.
The ad hoc leadership is now taking the update to HRDC members across the country, with meetings planned for the Eastern, Central and Northern regions.
Aaron said the dispute had created a negative image for civil society organizations, which are expected to provide leadership on accountability and governance.
“Government cannot even listen to civil society, more especially HRDC, because there are a lot of governance issues,” he said.
He, however, stressed that the divisions were not intentional, saying the organization needed to resolve its internal problems to restore its credibility.
“We are supposed to clean our house and be exemplary,” Aaron said.
He said restoring unity and accountability within HRDC was important because the coalition represents Malawians in demanding accountability from those in power.
