The Malawi-Tanzania border wrangle is a ticking bomb, never to be underestimated and not to be ignored. Nyasaland – now Malawi – was a British protectorate and Tanganyika – now Tanzania – was a German protectorate. The two countries disagree on the correct border, with Tanzania claiming that the border passes through Lake Malawi and Malawi on the other hand claiming that they own 100% of the lake. Despite this standoff, for a long time people of the two countries living along the border have coexisted peacefully, eking a living from fishing on this Great African Rift Valley lake.
When the issue surfaced between Zomba and Dar es Salaam in the 1960s, President Kamuzu Banda of Malawi was referred to by his comrade President Nyerere of Tanzania as “Insane”, and in sheer retaliation Kamuzu Banda called Julius Nyerere “a coward and communist inspired jellyfish”. Thank God the two powerful leaders never went to war but rather continued to meet each other for tea and toast, and the issue went into hibernation for a long time.
Now the wrangle has resurfaced because of the stipulated oil deposits on the Lake, precisely along the disputed area. Malawi claims 100% ownership of the lake legally backed by the Heligoland Treaty of 1890 reaffirmed in 1963 by the defunct OAU, the only treaty available on this thus far, giving the whole lake to Malawi. On the other hand, International Law stipulates that international boundaries are generally in the middle of waters and this is where Tanzania is siding itself, also legally backed.
Malawian authorities are on record saying they will never recognise or accept Tanzania’s’ claims. This topic is not even ‘worthy’ of discussion in Malawi. On the contrary, this is a hot issue in Tanzania, recently tabled in their parliament. A few days ago, Tanzania released a new map showing a border line on the waters and created a new district called Nyasa District on the shores. Tanzania has also reportedly stationed gunboats on the lake calling it ‘routine patrol’. These are rather provocative actions by Tanzania. President Joyce Banda has since commanded that Malawi will not go ahead with the talks because the Taifas are ‘jeopardising’.
“Even if it comes to the other mode of talks, we never accept defeat, you know!”- Bernard Membe (Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation)
The resource that is sparking this tension is oil. At a time when the world is moving away from natural gas and opting for renewable energy sources, is it not disgusting that countries are still fighting over this resource? Oil ‘war’ in the early 1960s made sense because oil was regarded as the driver of economies. Nowadays, all countries are now emphasising the ‘green economy’ which both Malawi and Tanzania would benefit from should they make real and deliberate investment in it. Malawi and Tanzania are among the poorest countries of the world. Why waste time on things that will less likely benefit the masses that really need basic needs like drugs, a meal for lunch and cheap sources of lighting.
Referring the issue to the International Court of Justice is the best course of action, but the problem is that Tanzania is not a signatory to its statutes so in theory cannot be taken to the ICJ, although in reality they can be dragged there. This then leaves roundtable talks as the way forward in the mean time. The news that Tanzania has asked Malawi to go back to the roundtable is welcome. However, the Tanzanians must swallow their pride first and show real willingness for peaceful talks. Provocative actions will simply not achieve anything. The people of the two countries are the same, only separated by borders. One can easily capture the identical nature of the Chichewa and Swahili- the common languages for Malawi and Tanzania respectively. Come what may, there is no point in fighting- Tanzanians are not cowards and Malawians are not insane.
About the Author
