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(NYASATIMES) Malawi/Mozambique boundary re-affirmation exercise begins

Malawi/Mozambique boundary re-affirmation exercise begins
By Nyasa Times
Published: November 25, 2009

Malawi government has said that it has started demarcating the border line between Malawi and Mozambique to reaffirm the real boundaries between the two countries.
The Surveyor General in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Andrew Mkandawire, said this recently at Dedza Boma when briefing district government officials, members of parliament and traditional leaders whose constituencies and areas are along the boundaries of Malawi and Mozambique in the district.

The meeting was called to sensitize stakeholders on the re-affirmation exercise so that they too conduct sensitization campaign to the communities along the Malawi/Mozambique boundary.

Mkandawire said top government officials from the two countries agreed that the two nations come up with common messages that would be used to sensitize people along the boundary on the exercise.

“The two countries have come up with a joint sensitization campaign strategy containing the messages and the channels to be used during the campaign exercise,” he said.

He therefore asked all stakeholders to advise their communities to cooperate and support the process.

Mkandawire said the reaffirmation exercise was just trying to enforce the boundary that was already demarcated in 1891 when Europeans partitioned Africa following the Berlin Conference in German leading to the birth of African countries.

He said the beacons indicating the boundary between the two countries were placed at a distance of 22 kilometres by the British and Portuguese which sometimes cause confusion to identify boundaries in some areas.

“To correct the situation, in 2000 African leaders agreed that by 2012 Africa should be clearly demarcated hence the exercise,” he said.

District Commissioner for Dedza, Daniel Phiri, said the exercise was welcome as it was going to confirm the identities of people from the two countries. He said in most cases there have been misunderstandings and conflicts regarding the true boundaries as there were no clear official markings along the boundary.

Member of Parliament for Dedza West, Phillip Chikhondo, thanked government for involving them at the very start of the exercise saying this would help them in sensitizing the communities on the importance of having a clear boundary and also in solving any problems that might arise during and after the exercise is completed.

The Malawi/Mozambique border re-affirmation exercise, which will cost about K40 million, has started in Mangochi and will spread to other Malawi/Mozambique bordering districts. Malawi is also doing a similar exercise with Zambia from Mchinji to Chitipa.

Labels: BORDERS, MALAWI, MOZAMBIQUE

posted by MrK @ 12:52 PM