Malawi : a Burundian refugee beaten nearly to death amid election fever

SOS Médias Burundi

Dzaleka, September 16, 2025 — The violence that marred the September 16 general elections in Malawi hit refugees hard. In Lilongwe, a Burundian living in Dzaleka camp was brutally attacked by youths who accused him of supporting outgoing President Lazarus Chakwera.

Already on the eve of the election, foreigners had been targeted in the Malawian capital. Accused of supporting President Chakwera, a candidate for reelection, they were violently attacked by groups of youths.

Among the victims was a Burundian refugee living in Dzaleka camp, in Dowa district.

A brutal attack

“He was attacked, injured, and beaten nearly to death. Young people accused him, along with other foreigners, mainly Congolese, of taking advantage of the current president’s laxity to prosper and seize wealth intended for the Malawian population,” said witnesses who took him to the hospital, dying.

His family lives in the Karonga area, in the center of the Dzaleka camp.

A growing climate of hostility

About twenty foreigners, mainly refugees, were reportedly victims of these attacks, according to local sources. Their families accuse the police of complicity and of failing to intervene in time.

Throughout the election campaign, many Malawians called for the departure of the refugees and the closure of the camps, including Dzaleka.

“We now live in fear. Leaving the camp, even to look for food or work, can cost us our lives,” confided a Burundian refugee contacted by SOS Médias Burundi.

A camp under tension

The camp administration, already facing an increase in crime, has strongly recommended that refugees not leave the camp during the election period. It is also asking the police to be extra vigilant and respond quickly to refugees’ calls for help.

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