“The Office of the President and Cabinet has announced that President Bingu wa Mutharika has appointed Brigadier General Henry Odillo as new commander of the Malawi Defence Force replacing General Marko Chiziko,” Malawi Broadcasting Corporation said.
It said Odillo’s appointment is effective July 22 and the brigadier general has been promoted to full general.
Although there was no reason given for Chiziko’s sacking, some observers, without being specific, suggested it had something to do with the political unrest which has rocked the southern African country.
In the July 20 nationwide anti-government protests, the military was called in to assist police as the demonstrations turned violent. Authorities confirmed at least 18 fatalities. On Friday, Mutharika accused protest organisers and the opposition of plotting “to overthrow my government” and warned of “consequences”.
The protests were staged to bring attention to the worsening economic and political situations in the country. For the first time since independence 47 years ago, Malawi is experiencing acute foreign exchange and fuel shortages. It’s not only Malawians who are dissatisfied with the way the Mutharika administration has handled the economy. Donors, who provide up to 40 percent of the country’s budget, have expressed similar concerns and they have either reduced or cut off aid to Malawi.
Britain, until last week Malawi’s main bilateral donor, announced it had stopped giving budget support to the country. Earlier this year, Britain’s envoy to Malawi was expelled after he had described Mutharika’s rule as autocratic. And in anticipation of UK terminating its aid, Malawi introduced an austerity budget which is supposed to be independent of foreign assistance. The 2012 budget introduced new taxes and existing ones were raised leading to higher commodity and food prices but the vast majority of Malawi’s 13 million people live on less than a dollar a day.
Mutharika who is serving his second and final term has dismissed calls for his resignation, saying Malawi is “well governed.” He was first elected in 2004, the same year he named Chiziko commander of the Malawi Defence Force.–maravipost