Malawi Farmer Discovers Mass Grave of Supposed Ethiopian Migrants

According to a police statement, evidence collected at the place of burial demonstrated that the victims were Ethiopian. Malawi is considered to be one of the main transit routes for those who travel from neighboring nations to South Africa in search of jobs.

A young farmer found at least 25 bodies in a forest in Mzimba while collecting honey on Wednesday, about 250 kilometers north of Malawi’s Lilongwewhile, local police stated.

“The grave was discovered late on Tuesday but we cordoned it off and started exhuming today. So far, we have discovered 25 bodies,” said police spokesperson Peter Kalaya, cited by the Guardian.

The semi-decomposed bodies were identified to be men aged between 25 and 40 that have been buried for “not more than a month”, Kalaya explained. Pathologists are said to be currently working to state the actual cause of death, and a police investigation is underway.

Officials reportedly believe that smugglers might have buried the bodies, being a common practice when migrants die in transit.

Kalaya elaborated that 221 migrants, 186 of whom were Ethiopians, have been intercepted between January and September this year.

“This year alone, Malawi has deported 191 illegal migrants,” he said.

According to a Washington Post report in July, Malawian police seized a tanker truck carrying 42 Ethiopians from the Tanzanian border to Malawi. At the time, officials reportedly indicated that some of the migrants needed urgent medical help and looked depleted. The migrants had supposedly been on the road for at least four months.

In April, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera warned that authorities will deal with anyone facilitating illegal immigrantion in the country, local media reported. He also denounced Malawians who help illegal immigrants in exchange for money.

NGO experts assert that East Africans are frequently trafficked through Malawi to South Africa, which is the continent's most industrialized nation and a draw for impoverished migrants from other parts of the continent.