LILONGWE – Malawian police arrested over 70 people on Wednesday as protests against the cost of living and “selective justice” descended into skirmishes and sporadic looting in the capital, Lilongwe.

A group calling itself Human Rights Ambassadors had called the protests, but a court banned the demonstrations overnight. Thousands of people still poured into the streets, and some shops were looted as police fired teargas to disperse the crowds.

The demonstrators chanted anti-government songs and demanded that resident Lazarus Chakwera should take action against unfair sentences handed down by the judiciary, especially against the poor.

Most residents avoided the city center and stayed at home as the country of 19 million people faces an uncertain future under Chakwera, who was sworn in as president in June 2020 while promising to tackle corruption and lift the economy in one of Africa’s poorest countries.

Chakwera dissolved his entire cabinet in January after several ministers and his deputy Saulos Klaus Chilima were named in corruption allegations involving the abuse of Covid-19 funds and meddling in the awarding of fuel import deals.

The president, an evangelical pastor known for wearing sharp suits and speaking with an American accent, is accused of failing to deliver on his election promises and a heavy-handed response to protests against his rule.

Ironically, Chakwera led from the front in 2019 protests after the election was declared for former President Peter Mutarika, before the Supreme Court overturned his victory leading to a re-run which he won.

Harry Namwaza, the deputy spokesman for Malawian police, said they regretted the use of teargas in residential areas while trying to crush the protest.

“When tear gas is used, innocent people will be affected. Sometimes people have to analyse and understand situations in which police officers operate, for example in such volatile and risky situations,” Namwanza said.

“Police generally use tear gas when the situation demands, and when it is the only method to disperse violent crowds like the one we experienced today.”

Chakwera has fallen out with ruling coalition partner Chilima, whom he reportedly tried to block from attending cabinet meetings, but met defiance. Chilima’s United Transformation Movement was one of the nine coalition parties in the Tonse Alliance dominated by Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party, which defeated Mutharika in the re-run election.