(AFP) – Malawi’s anti-corruption agency said it arrested the previous army chief on Thursday on allegations including dealing in property linked to “terrorism”. General Paul Valentino Phiri’s arrest comes months after the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) reported unverified allegations, based on purported US intelligence, that Malawi military personnel may have helped Sudanese rebels acquire heavy weaponry.
“The charges arise from allegations concerning his role in facilitating illegal arms trafficking in June and July 2025,” the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said in a statement announcing Phiri’s arrest. The retired general was facing five counts “relating to abuse of office and dealing in terrorist property”, it said, giving no other details. Phiri, 54, was head of the Malawi Defence Force from July 2023 until October 2025, the month after former president Lazarus Chakwera lost the general election.
Phiri’s lawyer, Powell Nkutabasa, told AFP the main allegations were misuse of office, contravening procurement procedures and dealing in “terrorist” property. “He was asked to report to the ACB today and he was arrested when he got there,” Nkutabasa said.
In a report in July, the PIJ claimed the bureau had received a complaint alleging US intelligence believed top Malawi military personnel may have helped to secretly funnel heavy weaponry to Sudan. It reported that multiple sources said the CIA had tracked an operation in which weapons were allegedly briefly offloaded from a cargo aircraft that landed at Lilongwe’s Kamuzu International Airport and reloaded onto a flight to Sudan via Chad. The weapons were said to include heavy military equipment and missiles, with documents allegedly identifying the Malawi Defence Force as the end-user, it said.
PIJ said it was not clear who had flagged the matter to the ACB and it had not seen the complaint or the alleged intelligence itself. The Malawi Defence Force confirmed at the time it was aware of the matter and had been approached by the ACB but could not comment further.
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in war with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023. The army has accused the UAE of supporting the RSF with weapons and mercenaries sent via Chad, Libya, Kenya and Somalia, by land and air, which it denies.
© 2024 AFP
