Cape Town – Malawian police have used tear gas to disperse a crowd of over 2,000 anti-government protesters in its biggest city, Blantyre, local media reports have said on Friday.
Protesters pelted stones at Malawi police officers, while law enforcers fired tear gas and a police unit was razed down as anti-government protests turned into chaos in Blantyre, according to online news publication Malawi 24.
Local media reported on Friday that youth gathered at Blantyre Magistrate’s Court premises to take part in the protests.
Politician Bonny Kalindo has organised the ‘Malawi Salibwino’ demonstrations to protest against the rising cost of living in the country and has demanded that the government find solutions to the economic crisis, writes Malawi 24.
Malawi: Police in Blantyre fire tear gas at protesters today. The protests are over the state of the economy pic.twitter.com/JZzQGz4p4z
— Zim Media Review (@ZimMediaReview) November 19, 2021
As the protesters were waiting for Kalindo, incidents of violence started.
Last week, President Lazarus Chakwera officially launched a 10-year implementation plan for the country, in a bid to turn the country’s economy around.
According to the government, the objective is to turn Malawi from being one of the poorest countries in the world, to a lower-middle income country by the year 2030, writes Africanews.com.
According to a government statement the economic plan will encompass different pillars including strengthening the agriculture and farming sectors.
Following Chakwera’s negotiations with Ahmed Elsewedy president and CEO of Egyptian multinational electrical company, Elsewedy Electric, this week, the country signed a US$1 billion deal, the Malawian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Tuesday.
Elsewedy Electric is set to bring flagship investments into Malawi in sectors like energy, manufacturing and tourism, among others, to boost the country's economy.
ANA