Writes Leo Odera Omolo
Information emerging from Dar Es-Salaam says that the dispute between Tanzania and Malawi over Lake Nyasa has ended in deadlock with both sides strongly recommending for mediation or the involvement of the International Court of Justice {ICJ} to resolve the statement.
The recommendation was made after week long talks between the to countries held in Malawi’s northern city of Mzuzu ended last Saturday with the two sides making little progress.
This was disclosed to the media by foreign ministers from the two sides in Lilongwe, the Malawian administrative and political capital.
Malawi Foreign Minister Epharaim Mganda Chiume said that during the talks the two sides made little progress in resolving the contentious issue hence the recommendations.
The Malawian Minister, however, said the two sides had agreed to meet again in next month {Sept 2013} in the Tanzanian capital, Dar Es Salaam to carry on with further discussions on the matter before considering the involvement of either a third party or ICJ.
The Minister was quoted a having said, ”We felt that there were still other options of diplomacy we could explore including involvement of third party. We have recommended that officials from the two countries should look into the matter again in Dar-Es Salaam.”
He went on , ‘And we also recommended that before the September meeting our Attorney Generals {AGs} should take time to interpret Article 1{2}[vi of the 1890 Anglo-Germany Treaty so that when we meet again next month we should all have legal understanding of the article.”
Chiume said the border dispute between the two neighboring African nations had been there for too long and that it was high time that it was resolved amicably, adding that failure to do so would impact negatively of the two countries.
On the other hand Mr Chiume’s Tanzanian counter-part Bernard Membe said the dispute indeed required further talks with the two sides maintaining their calms and diplomacy.
“We have agreed that the dispute we have requires a negotiated settlement through diplomacy,” said Membe.
Two weeks ago the Tanzanian government issued an order that there be no more flight across the disputed lake by aircraft from Malawi carrying out aerial survey and exploration for oil and gas over the lake until the dispute is resolved. Malawi obeyed and called for a top level meeting between the two Both people, however, have been urged to refrain fro making any provocative remarks which may create during the discussions his side had urged there should be no further exploration on Lake Nyasa {Lake Malawi] ,especially in the disputed part which is the northeastern part of the lake, to give room to the ongoing discussions.
The border dispute between Tanzania an Malawi begun recently when Malawi engaged a British firm Surestream to explore Lake Malawi for oil and gas deposit. The lake border Malawi and Tanzania.
The latter claims that part of the lake on that side belongs to the former Germany colony, while Malawi’s colony believes it owns the whole lake, based on the Heligoland. Treaty between Britain, Malawi’s colonial masters, which stipulated that the borders between the two countries were on the eastern shores of Lake Malawi.
Amid fears among the people of the two countries that there would be war over the lake, presidents of the two countries, Malawi’s Joyce Banda and Tanzania’s counterpart, Jakaya Kikwete, have been quoted in both local and international media to have said ‘the two countries would ever go to war, no matter what.”
The two presidents met recently in Maputo in Mozambique where on the sidelines of SADC Summit for Heads of State, they discussed the matter amicably and arrived at fruitful results,” according to President Banda. Tanzania claims the border runs along the middle of Lake Malawi, especially the disputed part which is the northeastern
Tanzania on its part claims the border runs along the middle of Lake Malawi, which is the home to over 500 species of fish and a major tourist attraction for Malawi.
When African states became independent, they agreed to maintain their colonial borders. Tanzania then Tanganyika was a German colony that Britain took over after World War One, British administration.then the placed all the lake’s waters under Malawi {the Nyasaland}.
At issue is largely undeveloped swath of Lake Malawi, where Lilongwe has awarded a license to British firm Surestream to explore for oil in northeastern waters near Tanzania.
Malawi has carefully watched Uganda’s developments around Lake Albert, where oil firms are pouring billions of dollars to exploit reserves estimated at 2.5 billion barrels.
Lake Malawi lies in the same Great Lakes system stretching along he African Rift, and Malawi is hoping for a similarly large payout-which would transform the fortunes of a country whose economy depends o small farmers and large foreign aid.
Ends