Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 03:02 pm
Malawi’s army is being hailed for protecting protesters who have been calling for electoral justice, following last year’s disputed presidential elections.
The military’s latest intervention occurred after a fraud-marred election last year that returned President Peter Mutharika to office.
The results were annulled by the country’s top court and fresh polls are due in May.
Thousands of civilians marched to the offices of the disgraced electoral commission last month where they chained and padlocked its entrance — and handed the keys to an army officer.
“Recent images of Malawi army soldiers protecting and leading opposition rally demonstrations are counter-intuitive in the eyes of many Africans,” said New York-based Malawian political analyst Nathan Chiume.
In Africa “we are used to seeing national armies typically deployed on the streets to enforce government’s orders against opposition members, not to guarantee the rights of citizens to peacefully demonstrate and petition the government,” he said.
