Malawi
Malawian-Danish cleavage deepens

afrol News, 8 February - In its account of its development assistance, presented by the Danish government in January, is summed up the situation in Malawi as "systematic intimidation of opposition, corruption," concluding Danish aid to Malawi would cease. A statement by the Malawian Ministry of Information calls these accusations "most tenuous."

Minister of Information, Clement Stambuli, reacted strongly to the Danish charges of human rights abuses in Malawi. "Fewer countries on earth have freer press than Malawi. There is not a single political prisoner in Malawi today and no one is in custody who should not be there. Recent reports from Amnesty International will show that the Malawi Government record on human rights is far better than most countries."

According to the Minister, it was "clear that Malawi is less corrupt than her neighbours and yet Denmark has proceeded to discontinue aid to Malawi while continuing with aid to other countries considered corrupt." Stambuli did not elaborate which neighbours were more corrupt than Malawi, but neighbours Tanzania and Mozambique are to continue as Denmark's "programme countries", i.e. receive maximum aid levels.

Malawi had been given status as a Danish programme country in 1997, but relations got complicated in October 2001. The Danish ambassador to Malawi, Orla Bakdal, was questioned by the Malawian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after he had been accused of insulting President Muluzi in an internal conversation at the embassy. Bakdal was ordered to return to Denmark by his government, which issued a statement denying Bakdal had insulted Muluzi.

According to the Danish statement, "some persons had wanted to intimidate the ambassador" making false allegations. The ambassador at the moment was involved in corruption investigations over Danish aid funds, which "have been abused." Back in Copenhagen, Bakdal led the investigations into the corruption affair, involving "politically influential persons in Malawi." Danish aid to Malawi was put on hold.

When afrol News contacted the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 26 January to request information about the corruption charges against Malawi, Helle Dyreborg from the Ministry referred to the new account on Danish development assistance, "where the Danish government accounts for its relationship with Malawi." The account referred to concluded with "systematic intimidation of opposition, corruption" on Malawi. 

The account proved highly critical against Malawi. "Lately, a row of examples of politically motivated violence, constitutional changes and steps towards limiting the independence of the judiciary have given rise to concern both nationally and internationally." On the corruption charges, the account concluded; "Danish aid resources have been abused by politically influential persons in Malawi." 

The Malawian government however denies all charges of human rights abuses and finds the accusations of corruption are not serious enough to halt all aid. The government was in fact investigating the charges and had taken them seriously.

Also in Denmark, there was found support for the position the cut in assistance had been an overreaction. "It is shocking and undue to cut development aid this drastically," Secretary-General of the Church Emergency Aid, Elsebeth Krogh, told the Danish press, saying the reaction was "too forceful to make sense." 

Denmark's neighbour, Norway, does not share the Danish concerns. While Denmark is to phase out its assistance within two years, Norway is escalating its aid. "We think that NORAD's [Norway's development agency] anti-corruption plan ... provides a good foundation to follow up the situation," Olav Kjørven from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently stated. He added that Norway did not see the need for any closer surveillance of its aid to Malawi.

Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, the Danish government today released its new "Strategy for Denmark's humanitarian aid" as a part of its reorientation in aid policy. Humanitarian aid is to receive a greater proportion of total international assistance, and most funds are to be channelled through renowned UN agencies and humanitarian organisations. No mention of Malawi was made. 

Sources: Based on Danish, Malawian and Norwegian govts. and afrol archives

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