President Bingu wa Mutharika (pictured) is reported to have been snubbed by Mozambique President Armando Geubuza following an attack by Malawi security forces at a Mozambique border police station in the district of Ngauma, northern province of Niassa.Mutharika left Malawi on Monday for a three day official visit to discuss with Mozambique President on Shire-Zambezi waterway, but his trip was distracted by reported raid of Malawian police to their Mozambqiue counterpart.
The attack was widely reported in Mozambique on Monday, first day of the working visit of Mutharika which overshadowed the talks with the Mozambican counterpart, Guebuza.
According to Mozambique media reports, President Guebuza did give Mutharika a send-off on Wednesday at the Maputo International Airport, a formality that is protocol on visits of a Head of State.
Speaking to journalists in Maputo before being forced to return to Malawi, Mutharika said that he had been notified about the incident upon his arrival in Mozambique, assuring that he had already notified the Malawi Security Council to convene a meeting to find out and discuss the real causes of the incident.
I expect to send a report to my brother Guebuza after the meeting with the Security Council, but I believe there was some sort of a misunderstanding caused by a group of people. That could not be an action of the Malawian Government, said Mutharika.
The incident, according Mutharika, led to the sudden cancellation of his visit to the Port of Beira, central province of Sofala that is an important import and export route of Malawian goods.
Yesterday (Tuesday), when I received a report on the incident I was very concerned, so I spend the morning trying to get in touch with a number of sources in Malawi to discuss the issue, so I thought it could be unpleasant to start a trip like this while there is an important issues to resolve, stressed the President.
On Wednesday, the last day of his visit to Mozambique, Mutharika also cancelled, for the same reasons, a visit scheduled to Institute of Agrarian Research (IIAM) in Boane, in the southern province of Maputo province.
Despite leaving Mozambique this afternoon I have to meet the Security Council, said Mutharika, whose departure was initially scheduled for 10.00 AM, but only managed to leave by 02.40 PM local time.
Asked about the possibility of Malawi issuing a formal letter of apology, Mutharika said that he was not in a position to answer that question, arguing that he has yet to learn the real causes behind the incident, but promised to discuss the issue and then decide what to do.
Malawi police set fire on the Mozambique police station and also used tear gas and firearms, but fortunately without any casualty on the Mozambican side.
The Malawian officers raided a police station to demand the return of a bicycle allegedly apprehended by the Mozambican authorities from a Malawian national who had crossed illegally the Mozambican border to buy maize.
The Malawian nationals were told to return the next day by the Mozambican police authorities to pick up the bicycle, a decision that was vehemently refused by the Malawians who wanted an immediate explanation.
Everything leads to believe that it is an attack by the police in Malawi, since the individuals were uniformed to the same rigorous standard used by police Malawian, said the governor of the province of Niassa, Arnaldo Bimbo.
As for his visit to Mozambique, Mutharika said that the mission was very fruitful, as both countries agreed to open a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations.
Mozambique and Malawi have, according Mutharika, excellent relations and this visit was meant to cement cooperation in the transport and communications, energy, human resources, education sectors, among others.
The mission was fruitful and I hope that when my brother Guebuza visits Malawi, hopefully after the general elections, well review the points discussed during my visit to Mozambique, said Mutharika.
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