Human Rights – Malawi Wire

October 19, 2022October 20, 2022

WFP Malawi Country Brief, September 2022

In Numbers

3.8 million Malawians (20 percent of the population) face acute food insecurity during the upcoming lean season (Oct 2022-Mar 2023)
USD 30 million six-month (Oct 2022 – Mar 2023) net funding requirements
48,000 refugees and asylum-seekers receiving cash assistance

Strategic Outcome 1

• 2022/2023 Lean season response: WFP is working with the Government of Malawi and coordinating with other humanitarian and development partners to plan, jointly resource and respond to the 2022/2023 lean season needs. The Government of Malawi released its response plan for the upcoming lean season which requires USD 76 million for implementation of the response. Part of the requirements will be covered by other sources including the African Risk Capacity insurance pay-out worth USD 14.2 million as well as maize to be drawn down from the Government’s Strategic Grain Reserve, managed by the National Food Reserve Agency.

• Refugees: Monthly distributions were completed via cash (e-payments) for 11,000 refugee households (approximately 48,000 refugees) in Dzaleka refugee camp. WFP is preparing to conduct an updated targeting exercise in November to facilitate WFP’s refugee assistance.

Strategic Outcome 2

• School feeding: The Deputy Minister of Health along with WFP Country Director visited WFP’s school feeding activities, Tsogolo la thanzi- TSOLATA supported by the European Union in Nsanje District. This visit was aimed at appreciating the linkages within TSOLATA, including smallholder farmers supplying food commodities to the schools and health promoters supporting volunteer parents to prepare nutritious meals among others.

• Social protection: In collaboration with the Government and partners, WFP has been providing capacity strengthening through technical assistance to enable effective leveraging of the social protection system.
After-action reviews of the 2021/2022 lean season and 2022 floods responses revealed successes in the use of the unified beneficiary registry for targeting during the lean season response. Furthermore, the finalised cash plus guidance (led by WFP) was highlighted as a successful pilot for beneficiaries.

Strategic Outcome 3

• Malnutrition prevention: WFP has transitioned implementation of malnutrition sensitive interventions from cooperating partners to implementation through district councils to build Government capacity at local level. Presently, five district councils in the priority districts of Balaka, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe and Zomba are implementing activities.

Source: World Food Programme

October 8, 2022October 10, 2022

UN Rights Council Extends Ethiopia Commission by a Year

The U.N. Human Rights Council voted Friday by a narrow majority to extend for another year a commission of experts tasked with investigating the human rights situation in conflict-torn Ethiopia.

The text presented by the European Union was adopted by 21 votes in favor.

Nineteen countries voted against, including all African members of the Human Rights Council except Malawi, which abstained along with six other countries.

The experts are due to make a verbal report on the situation in Ethiopia, which has been mired in conflict since November 2020, to the Human Rights Council at its next session in early 2023.

Ethiopia’s representative in Geneva said in a tweet before the vote that “Ethiopia rejects it and requests members of the Council to vote against this political venture.”

Human Rights Watch said the extension was “a powerful message to the warring parties… that those who commit abuses could one day be brought to justice.”

It also called on states to give the commission the means to do its work.

“This decision gives hope to the victims of Ethiopia’s continued human rights violations that someone is supporting them,” Amnesty International said.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement that Washington welcomes the extension of the commission’s mandate and added: “The Ethiopian government and all involved in this conflict must commit to a comprehensive, inclusive, and transparent transitional justice process. As we have said from the beginning, any solution to the crisis must include accountability for those responsible, and the ICHREE will have an essential role in supporting such efforts.”

The war has killed untold numbers of civilians and triggered a deep humanitarian crisis, and all sides to the conflict have been accused of grave abuses against civilians.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) dominated Ethiopia’s ruling coalition for decades before Abiy Ahmed took power in 2018.

After months of rising tensions Prime Minister Abiy, a Nobel Peace laureate, sent soldiers into Tigray to unseat the TPLF, saying the move was in response to attacks on federal army camps.

Source: Voice of America

September 19, 2022September 20, 2022

Malawi endures worst cholera outbreak in years

LILONGWE, (CAJ News) – NO less than 67 people have died in the worst cholera outbreak Malawi is experiencing in years.

The first case was registered in Machinga district in the Southern region on March 2.

The Ministry of Health declared the cholera outbreak a day later after the increase and spread of confirmed cases.

The outbreak, initially limited to the southern part of the country, has now spread to northern and central regions.

Malawi continues to register new cholera cases in different parts.

As of August 31, the outbreak had 1 736 cases registered in 15 districts.

The Red Cross reports that this year’s outbreak is relatively unusual as the cases continue being registered in the dry season of the year and are spreading sporadically in several districts across the country.

This makes the situation less predictable and more difficult to contain.

The Red Cross has allocated over CHF 392 000 (US$405 498) to help halt the spread.

The Ministry of Health has activated its Emergency Operation Centre (EOC).

Source: CAJ News Agency