What began as a solemn tribute to Malawi’s founding leader, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, quickly unraveled on Kamuzu Day when police deployed tear gas to break up Malawi Congress Party supporters escorting former president Lazarus Chakwera to the Kamuzu Mausoleum in Lilongwe. The confrontation underscored sharpening political frictions around the holiday. The MCP had shunned the official State ceremony, arguing Chakwera was sidelined from the national event due to what authorities labeled “protocol complications.” Government…

Former President Lazarus Chakwera accused his successor, Peter Mutharika, on Thursday of overseeing a campaign of intimidation and “unlawful arrests, and the abuse of due process” aimed at silencing opposition figures, calling the pattern a “dangerous collapse” of the rule of law. In a formal statement, Chakwera said he has notified President Mutharika of what he described as politically motivated actions against leaders of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). “This includes individuals whose only crime is exercising their…