Tanzania: War Will Not Solve Lake Nyasa Dispute

ON February 28, The Nyasa Times of Malawi, an online publication that credits itself for publishing 'breaking news' about the country, published a 'Special Editorial' entitled: "Malawi - Stand up for what is yours."

The article made sweeping, reckless and careless accusations against Tanzania as regards the border dispute between the two countries on Lake Nyasa. It started by saying: "Patriotism has been said to be an indispensable weapon in the defence of civilization against barbarism.

"Nothing defines barbarism better (than) the premeditated and the internationally unacceptable act of one country unilaterally assuming ownership of another sovereign state's bequeathed property."

The second paragraph stated: "Unfortunate as this is, this is what Tanzania is doing and worse (still) is now doing unorthodox means to annexe (annex) Lake Malawi, granted to Malawi via the July 1, 1890 Anglo-German Treaty, also known as the Heligoland Treaty." Somewhere down the line it also said:

"In its efforts to wrangle the lake from Malawi, in blatant disregard of the Heligoland Treaty, the OAU resolution of 1964 and the AU resolutions of 2002 and 2007, it is leaving no stone unturned and if reports are true, special envoys armed with assorted inducements, promises and lies, are all over the place making nocturnal deals to buttress Tanzania bid."

The border dispute between Tanzania and Malawi on Lake Nyasa is indeed an old one. Again, as stated in the article quoted above, neither Tanzania nor Malawi were represented at the signing of the Heligoland Treaty.

Furthermore, the conference that led to the signing of the treaty was never called specifically to demarcate the border between Nyasaland, as Malawi was then known and Dutch East Africa or Tanganyika, as Tanzania was known.

That conference was a follow up on unfinished business during the Berlin Conference of 1884 that carved Africa into European colonies and other spheres of influence. Nyasaland became a British Protectorate or colony while Tanzania became a German possession.

At the Heligoland conference and treaty, Germany was more interested in getting Heligoland, a rocky island to its north west that was occupied by Britain. It is true that Article l (2) of the Heligoland Treaty describes the border between Malawi and Tanganyika as being on the eastern shores of Lake Nyasa.

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