A group of major donor nations and international bodies that supports Malawi, said in a report released Tuesday that its members are was concerned by rights abuses in the poor southern African country, particularly a crackdown on LGBT people.
The donor group, Common Approach for Budgetary Support (CABS), said the abuses could affect budget support, but did not suggest specific sanctions, Reuters reports.
“When we talk about human rights, we do not only talk about the majority but also minority groups like the on-going issue of homosexuals which needs to be looked into thoroughly,” CABS Chairman Frank Kufwakwandi said in a statement.
On Wednesday, an official with the African Development Bank echoed the concerns of CABS, saying the country should handle a court case next week involving a gay couple with “extra care”, AFP reports.
A verdict is expected on Monday in the trial of a gay couple arrested in December after holding the country’s first same-sex engagement ceremony. The two are accused of sodomy and public indecency. If convicted, the couple could face up to 14 years in prison. Another man was later arrested for hanging gay rights posters in the commercial capital Blantyre.
Donor nations warn Malawi ahead of verdict on gay couple [contd.]
Malawi’s chief justice last month dismissed the couple’s appeal against the case.
“The current issue of homosexuals in Malawi has raised a lot of international concern, including among donors. Malawi needs to handle the issue with extra care,” AfDB's resident representative Frank Kufakwandi said.
CABS is made up of AfDB, Norway, Britain, Germany, the World Bank, the IMF, and the European Commission. The group contributes over 40 percent of Malawi’s budget, Times of South Africa reports.
The group is meeting in Malawi to assess the performance of both Malawi and development partners.
Malawi’s deputy minister of finance Frazer Nihorya told the meeting that the issue of gays was a “tricky matter”, Reuters reports.
He said the government's final position will be known later after “exhausting all avenues as a debate is still going on”.
Last week, Norway’s minister of environment and international development cautioned Malawi’s government on the need to respect LGBT rights.
In January, Scottish and British MPs petitioned the administration of Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika to drop the case against the gay couple.
Meanwhile, a group of Malawian church leaders met the southern part of the country to discuss homosexuality, Associated Press reports.
Bishop Joseph Bvumbwe, head of the Malawi Council of Churches, said the religious leaders are meeting in Magochi in an attempt to “understand the phenomenon” of same sex partners.