Rifles bound for Sudan reportedly transited through Malawi
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Malawi24
According to an investigation by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), Malawi reportedly served as a transit point for an order of 60,000 AK rifles bound for Sudan. Retired General Paul Valentino Phiri, former commander of the Malawi Defence Force who was arrested on 1 October by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, is at the centre of the allegations.
According to an investigation by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), published on 13 November 2026, Malawi reportedly served as a transit route for weapons bound for Sudan, via cargo flights linking Kenya, Malawi and Chad. The case concerns an alleged military order of 60,000 AK-type rifles, 15,000 machine guns and 90 million rounds of ammunition, as well as artillery equipment and missiles.
An end-user certificate dated 18 June 2025, presented as issued by the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), names Nairobi-based company Jabari Industries Limited as the exporter and the Malawian Ministry of Defence as the recipient. The document reportedly bears the signature of Brigadier General L.E. Mwase, with the words “For Commander”.
At the centre of the allegations is retired General Paul Valentino Phiri, former commander of the MDF, who was arrested on 1 October 2026 by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). According to the ACB, he allegedly facilitated the order, asked junior officers to clear a cargo plane at Kamuzu International Airport and arranged for the military equipment to be transported to Chad. Phiri did not respond to the PIJ’s approaches, and the outcome of these allegations is a matter for the courts.
The investigation identifies an Airbus A321-200 cargo aircraft, registered SU-SKG and operated by Sky Vision Airlines, as a key link. Flight-tracking data show that it made return trips between Mombasa, Kenya, and Lilongwe, then about 11 flights between Lilongwe and N’Djamena, Chad, between July and August 2025.
The PIJ does, however, acknowledge the limits of its evidence: flight records cannot establish the nature of the cargoes, and the certificate does not prove that the weapons were delivered. Nor has it been established that the weapons reached Sudan.
