Malawi -Ziwa Nyasa ni letu, Tanzania haina hoja

But Malawi’s Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Uladi Mussa, speaking to Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) on Tuesday asked the people in the two districts to remain calm assuring them nothing would happen.

“I should assure all the people in this country to remain calm. We are talking to the Tanzanian government and all will be fine. If push comes to shove we will take the matter to International Court of Justice,” reported the radio.

The minister reaffirmed that the entire lake belongs to Malawi adding that government has evidence to prove its point.

Mussa further said government will not stop exploring oil on the lake as demanded by Tanzania saying “they [Tanzanians] have no powers to do so”.

“There is no issue here. We all know the lake belongs to us. In fact if such a claim came from Mozambique at least it would have made sense to some extent but not Tanzania. We have all the evidence and treaties are there to support that Lake Malawi belongs to Malawi,” said the Home Affairs Minister.

Malawi government argues that the principle being pursued by Tanzania- that the border is along the middle- only applies where there is no treaty but in this scenario the border was clearly and specifically defined in the 1890 Heligoland Treaty.

Germany and Britain, colonial masters of Tanzania and Malawi respectively, signed the treaty after the issue- of the border between the two countries- was clearly defined.

In addition, records show that in 1963 Heads of State of Organisation of African Union (OAU) made a resolution that member states should recognize and accept the borders that were inherited at the time of independence.

The leaders also made similar resolutions in 2002 and 2007 during the African Union (AU) summits.

However, Malawi Government’s decision to extract gas and oil on Lake Malawi has not only touched on the raw nerves of the Tanzanians but many Malawians as well who have argued that the disadvantages of the project far much outweigh the benefits.

Malawi, a former British colony, and Tanzania, once ruled by Germany, are due to hold showdown talks on the disputed border in the northern Malawian town of Mzuzu on August 20.