Malawi – Dzaleka : armed robbery of a Rwandan refugee, more than 800,000 kwachas stolen

SOS Médias Burundi

Dzaleka, April 17, 2025 – An armed robbery was committed Tuesday night at the Dzaleka refugee camp, located in Dowa district, central Malawi. The victim, a Rwandan refugee known as Cassien, was robbed of more than 800,000 Malawi kwachas (MWK) by unidentified armed individuals. According to his neighbors, the assailants—some of whom were wearing police uniforms—surprised him at his home shortly after returning from the market, on a particularly busy day due to his butchery business in the Blantyre area, one of the most populated areas of the camp. Shots were fired before the assailants fled with the money.

Several refugees point to the complicity or passivity of security forces, noting the complete lack of police intervention, as was also the case in other similar incidents reported in recent weeks in other parts of the camp.

This latest incident comes amid a worrying rise in crime in Dzaleka. Since the suspension last March of civilian guards who assisted the police with night patrols, at least sixteen households have been attacked by armed bandits in several areas, including Koronga I, Blantyre, Kawale I, and Dzaleka Centre.

“How can ten police officers ensure the security of such a vast camp, divided into at least seven zones?”, asks one resident. Others believe that some disgruntled former guards or police officers may be involved, particularly due to unpaid salaries at the time of their suspension.

It should be noted that this is not the first time such acts have been reported. At the end of March, SOS Médias Burundi warned of a series of armed robberies in the camp in an article available here:
Malawi – Dzaleka : armed robberies in the refugee camp, anger and suspicions of complicity

The Dzaleka camp currently hosts more than 50,000 refugees, including over 11,000 Burundians.

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A refugees’ house demolished by Malawian police in search of criminals in the Dzaleka camp (SOS Médias Burundi)