Malawians repatriated from South Africa amid rising xenophobia concerns
Some 2,300 Malawian migrants have been repatriated from South Africa over the past week as the Malawi government organised convoys home following a surge in xenophobic attacks. Pretoria said it had set up an internal security corridor to ensure the evacuation could proceed safely.
Malawi's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that 2,300 of its citizens had been repatriated from South Africa under a three-day evacuation operation coordinated by Lilongwe. Bus convoys departed Johannesburg and Mpumalanga province for the Malawian border, while scheduled flights were laid on for the return leg into Lilongwe.
Four South African cities have reported attacks on migrant-owned businesses and shop arsons over the past three weeks; at least 11 people have been killed and hundreds injured. The Police Ministry issued a preliminary report saying the attacks were "linked to organised gangs" and announced a dedicated investigation unit.
Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera called for an extraordinary meeting of the Southern African Development Community after consultations with Pretoria. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it was ready to provide logistical support if further evacuation requests came in from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, whose nationals are also in the region.
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