Police in Malawi’s capital city Lilongwe Sunday morning arrested 41 Ethiopians as they were trying to beat the immigration system and cross the country’s porous borders and find their way to South Africa.
The 41 foreigners who are believed to have just arrived into the country through Tanzania although they claim to be from the country’s Dzaleka refugee camp, almost 50 kilometres from the capital city, were arrested along a truck driver believed to have been behind the smuggling of the people in and out of the country.
The Freightliner truck registration number NU 6160 belongs to one of well known transporting company in the country popularly known as Chita 1 while the driver was identified as Rodgers Simion Anthony Khafula.
The Police and immigration officers impounded the vehicle near the driver’s house in the populous Kawale township with the 41 foreigners stached in between cartoons of unprocessed tobacco.
In an earlier swoop: Ethiopians arrested in Malawi for entering the country illegally
Immigration Department Public Relations Officer Ealack Banda said in an interview: “We believe the foreigners, who claim that they are from Zaleka, were going to South Africa together with the truck and it seems that it was an agreement between the driver and these foreigners. The owner of the truck is not involved.”
He said the foreigners will be sent back to the refugees camp if their claims will be proved to be true, or they will be deported to their home country.