This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000452 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA, CA/OCS/ACS (ROBINSON), AF/S, 
AF/EX 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CASC PGOV PHUM MI
SUBJECT: VIOLENCE BRIEFLY FLARES FOLLOWING ELECTIONS 
 
REF: (A) LILONGWE 00449 
 
     (B) LILONGWE 00439 
     (C) LILONGWE 00438 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: SCATTERED VIOLENCE LINKED TO LAST WEEK'S 
NATIONAL ELECTIONS OCCURRED THROUGHOUT MALAWI FROM 22-24 
MAY; AS YET UNCONFIRMED REPORTS SEEM TO INDICATE THAT UP TO 
THREE FATALITIES MAY HAVE OCCURRED IN BLANTYRE DURING THESE 
DISTURBANCES, WHICH APPEAR TO HAVE RUN THEIR COURSE FOR NOW. 
LILONGWE REMAINED QUIET THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD, AND NO USG 
EMPLOYEES, PRIVATE AMCITS, USG FACILITIES, AMERICAN NGOS OR 
AMERICAN CORPORATE ENTITIES ANYWHERE IN MALAWI HAVE REPORTED 
BEING TARGETED OR SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY THIS FLARE-UP OF 
POLITICAL VIOLENCE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) DETAILS: 
 
¶A.  SCATTERED VIOLENCE LINKED TO LAST WEEK'S NATIONAL 
ELECTIONS OCCURRED IN BLANTYRE, MZUZU AND ELSEWHERE IN 
MALAWI FROM 22-24 MAY, FOR REASONS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED IN 
REFTELS.  THE WORST OF THIS VIOLENCE OCCURRED IN BLANTYRE, 
WHERE SOME SHOPS AND ROADS WERE CLOSED ON MONDAY, 24 MAY. 
(RSO COMMENT: SOME OF THESE CLOSURES WERE ALSO PARTIALLY 
PROMPTED BY THE INAUGURATION OF MALAWI'S NEW PRESIDENT, 
WHICH ALSO TOOK PLACE IN BLANTYRE ON 24 MAY AND WAS ATTENDED 
BY VARIOUS REGIONAL HEADS-OF-STATE.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶B.  AS YET UNCONFIRMED REPORTS OBTAINED BY EMBASSY LILONGWE 
SEEM TO INDICATE THAT UP TO THREE FATALITIES MAY HAVE 
OCCURRED DURING THE DISTURBANCES IN BLANTYRE; WHILE THERE IS 
A HEAVY POLICE PRESENCE ON THE STREETS OF THAT CITY TODAY 
(TUESDAY, 25 MAY) THERE HAVE BEEN NO ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF 
VIOLENCE THERE OR ELSEWHERE IN MALAWI, AND IT APPEARS THAT 
THIS POLITICAL VIOLENCE HAS RUN ITS COURSE FOR NOW.  (RSO 
COMMENT: TWO REPORTS WE ARE AWARE OF CLAIM THAT ONE OF THE 
FATALITIES WAS A MALAWI POLICE SERVICE CONSTABLE, BUT SENIOR 
POLICE SOURCES IN LILONGWE HAVE UNOFFICIALLY DENIED THAT ANY 
POLICE OFFICERS WERE KILLED WHILE RESTORING ORDER ANYWHERE 
IN MALAWI; THESE SAME POLICE OFFICERS HAVE HOWEVER 
UNOFFICIALLY CONFIRMED THAT ONE OF THE REPORTED FATALITIES 
WAS A RIOTER, WHO WAS SHOT BY THE POLICE IN BLANTYRE.  AT 
THIS TIME WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS ON WHETHER THIS USE OF 
LETHAL FORCE BY THE POLICE ACTUALLY OCCURRED, OR WHAT THE 
CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING IT MAY HAVE BEEN.  END COMMENTS.) 
 
¶C.  LILONGWE REMAINED QUIET THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD DESCRIBED 
ABOVE AND NO USG EMPLOYEES, PRIVATE AMCITS, USG FACILITIES, 
AMERICAN NGOS OR AMERICAN CORPORATE ENTITIES ANYWHERE IN 
MALAWI REPORTED BEING TARGETED OR AFFECTED BY THIS POLITICAL 
VIOLENCE.  ADDITIONALLY, NO PARTS OF THE COUNTRY ARE 
CURRENTLY OFF-LIMITS TO USDH EMPLOYEES, AND PRIVATE AMCITS 
ARE NOT BEING ADVISED TO AVOID ANY PARTICULAR LOCATIONS IN 
MALAWI EITHER.  (RSO COMMENT:  ONE USDH MISSION EMPLOYEE 
LIVES AND WORKS IN BLANTYRE; HE HAS BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR AND 
HAS REPORTED THAT THE FLARE-UP OF VIOLENCE IN THAT CITY DID 
NOT AFFECT HIM, HIS OFFICE OR HIS LOCALLY ENGAGED STAFF IN 
ANY SIGNIFICANT WAY.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) RSO COMMENTS: 
 
¶A.  LILONGWE IS CURRENTLY RATED AS A MEDIUM POLITICAL 
VIOLENCE THREAT POST.  THE RECENT POLITICAL VIOLENCE 
DESCRIBED ABOVE IS IN LINE WITH THAT THREAT RATING AND IS 
NOT ATYPICAL FOR THIS COUNTRY. 
 
¶B.  POST IS AWARE OF STORIES PAINTING A FAR GRIMMER PICTURE 
OF POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE WHICH HAVE BEEN PICKED UP AND 
REPEATED BY VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL PRESS AGENCIES.  AT THIS 
TIME WE CANNOT/NOT CONFIRM ANY OF THESE STORIES AS ANYTHING 
OTHER THAN POSSIBLE EXAMPLES OF SLOPPY REPORTING AND/OR POOR 
FACT-CHECKING. 
 
¶C.  THE MALAWI POLICE SERVICE, WHILE GENERALLY WELL 
INTENTIONED, IS UNDER FUNDED, UNDER STAFFED, POORLY TRAINED 
AND VERY POORLY EQUIPPED; IN PARTICULAR THEY LACK SUFFICIENT 
QUANTITIES OF MODERN RIOT-CONTROL GEAR, AND ARE NOT 
PARTICULARLY WELL TRAINED IN USING THE GEAR THAT THEY DO 
HAVE.  IT IS THEREFORE ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT A CONSTABLE 
MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED WHILE TRYING TO RESTORE ORDER IN 
BLANTYRE, AND/OR THAT THE POLICE UTILIZED LETHAL FORCE WHILE 
DOING SO THERE AS WELL.  END COMMENTS. 
 
¶4. (U) PLANS: POST'S POLITICAL SECTION, CONSULAR SECTION AND 
REGIONAL SECURITY OFFICE ARE CONTINUING TO UTILIZE ALL 
AVAILABLE SOURCES TO DETERMINE AND CONFIRM WHAT EXACTLY 
HAPPENED ON THE STREET IN THE DAYS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE 
MAY 20 ELECTIONS, AND WILL ADVISE ONCE WE HAVE SOLID 
INFORMATION ON SAME AND/OR IF THE SECURITY SITUATION HERE 
SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGES. 
 
DOUGHERTY