Free Republic

Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera on Sunday denounced bans on Africa travel imposed by the Biden administration and several other governments, in response to the Omicron coronavirus variant, as “Afrophobia.” “We are all concerned about the new Covid [Chinese coronavirus] variant and owe South Africa’s scientists our thanks for identifying it before anyone else did,” Chakwera wrote on Facebook. “But the unilateral travel bans now imposed on SADC countries by the UK, EU, U.S., Australia, and others are uncalled for,” he continued. “Covid measures must be based on science, not Afrophobia.” SADC refers to the Southern African Development Community, a bloc...

In May 2019, Peter Mutharika, incumbent president in the southern African nation of Malawi, claimed a narrow re-election victory over opposition challenger Lazarus Chakwera. Malawians, however, reported "voting irregularities." Investigators found altered vote tallies and evidence of tampering. A majority of the country concluded Chakwera had defeated Mutharika. Incensed Malawians began nationwide nonviolent protests. Despite threats by Mutharika supporters, "stolen election" demonstrations persisted in rural towns as well as cities. Since he retained the title of president, Mutharika believed he controlled the guns and the courts. The protests would fade. He learned otherwise. Malawi's military, the Malawi Defense Force (MDF)...