A clash between police and prison guards in Malawi erupted on Friday after the latter protested in jails across the country over the lack of personal protective equipment against the coronavirus and additional pay for hazardous work.
Prison guards pelted the police with stones and trained their guns on police armoury vehicles, which subsequently pulled back, after police fired tear gas to break up their protests.
Prisons, due to the numbers of inmates in them and congestion, have been identified as areas in which the coronavirus could spread exponentially. A number of African countries, such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Libya, Somalia and Algeria, have released thousands of prisoners to contain the virus’ spread.
The prison guards, who initially went on strike on Thursday, are unhappy that the lack of equipment puts them at high risk of contracting the deadly virus which has killed nearly 200,000 people globally.
Guards at Chichiri Prison in Malawi’s second largest city Blantyre are accused of assaulting three police officers who attempted to stop them going on strike.
The guards later accused riot police of attacking the prisons as retribution for the alleged assault of the officers.
Malawi’s National Police spokesperson James Kadadzera, who spoke to the Voice of America, refuted those allegations adding that the assault case was being handled separately. Kadadzera also noted that it was illegal for a government organ to take industrial action.
A guard at Zomba Maximum Security Prison who spoke to the VOA on condition of anonymity revealed that the guards intend to close the kitchens on Saturday.
National Prison spokesperson Chimwemwe Shawa said that every effort was being undertaken by the management to ensure that the tense situation was eased.
“The junior officers still believe that only the sit-in can bring answers to their concerns. So, basically, management will be meeting as we monitor the situation, as we are trying to come up with measures to manage the tension,” Shawa said, taking into account that the demands of the guards were justifiable.
Malawi has recorded 33 COVID-19 cases and three deaths as of April 24.
