Ethiopians found in Malawi mass grave thought to have suffocated

Dozens of Ethiopian people whose remains were found in mass graves in northern Malawi last month most likely suffocated to death while being secretly transported, investigators and campaigners believe.

The tragedy came amid a spate of incidents underlining the dangers faced by tens of thousands of people who entrust their lives to criminal networks that promise passage to South Africa, the most developed country on the continent.

Authorities in Malawi discovered 29 bodies in two graves in the remote Mtangatanga forest reserve in the northern district of Mzimba last month. These have now been tentatively identified as the remains of migrants aged between 25 and 40 on their way to South Africa from Ethiopia.

Compared with the plight of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean or the deserts of northern Africa, the dangers facing those moving within the continent receive limited attention, even though the “southern route” – as the 5,000km journey from east Africa to South Africa is known – is as perilous as any other.

“All irregular migration routes are dangerous, and the southern route is no exception,” said Dr Ayla Bonfiglio, a specialist at the Mixed Migration Centre in Geneva.

Campaigners fear the true death toll on the southern route is much greater than currently thought.

“There are thousands and thousands in transit … There could be so many [dead] we don’t know about,” said Caleb Thole, national coordinator at the Malawi Network against Trafficking.

In a report earlier this year, the IOM noted that those traveling on the southern route faced “harsh experiences including violence, exploitation, abuse and a severe lack of access to basic needs and services”.

Police in Mozambique last week found almost 100 people hiding in an empty tanker. Local officials told reporters that the men and 10 women had agreed to pay 2,500 Rand (£110) each to the driver to be taken to South Africa.

One told local reporters: “We left Malawi inside the tanker. Our destination was South Africa to look for jobs. In our country, life is tough. That is why we tried at all costs to go to South Africa.”

Agencies