POLITICS · MALAWI
Malawi’s Concerned Citizens of Malawi People Power Movement, a protest group, has called nationwide demonstrations for Tuesday 17 November 2026 over fuel shortages, scarce foreign currency and power cuts, according to a press statement dated 10 November and a circular. A government minister says the shortages are problems the present government inherited.
Malawi is a landlocked country in southern Africa, and shortages of fuel and dollars strain daily life and business at once. For US readers, the protests are a test of the government that took office after the September 2025 election, and a warning for travellers and companies in Lilongwe and Blantyre.
Key Facts
- Who Concerned Citizens of Malawi People Power Movement, a civic protest group, issued the call on 10 November.
- What Nationwide demonstrations over fuel shortages, scarce foreign currency and long power cuts.
- When Tuesday 17 November 2026, with marches planned in Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
- Government Shadric Namalomba, the minister for information and communications technology, calls the shortages inherited structural problems.
- Next Two other groups plan separate marches that day: one in Mulanje district, one by a rights coalition.
What the Protesters Want
The movement says Malawians deserve “practical solutions, not endless assurances and shifting explanations”. It lists fuel shortages, scarce foreign currency and power cuts that it says disrupt economic activity and raise living costs.
The group urges market vendors, young people, transport operators, business owners and workers to join. It says the action is non-partisan and will be peaceful.
A circular attributed to the organisers also demands that three ministers resign: Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha, Health Minister Madalitso Baloyi and Energy Minister Jean Mathanga. That demand comes from a single report of the circular and is unverified.
Two More Marches Planned the Same Day
Concerned Citizens of Mulanje, a local group in Mulanje district in southern Malawi, told the Mulanje district commissioner, the senior local government official, in a letter dated 10 November that it will hold peaceful demonstrations in the district on 17 November. It says it will co-operate with the district council and police.
The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), a rights group that the regulator of non-governmental organisations deregistered with effect from 3 November, has said it will protest on the same day in several cities, including Lilongwe. It demands the resignation of Energy Minister Jean Mathanga, and its chairperson, Michael Kaiyatsa, says the group is consulting lawyers.
What the Government Says
Shadric Namalomba, the minister for information and communications technology, said in an interview this week that the fuel and foreign-currency shortages are structural problems inherited from the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), the party of former president Lazarus Chakwera, which was voted out in September 2025. He said President Peter Mutharika, whose Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) now governs, has indicated that stabilising the economy could take at least two years, and that the government expects the situation to stabilise in the coming months.
He pointed to tighter spending on government purchases, mining and value addition, and talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the global lender, to revive a loan programme called the Extended Credit Facility. He also acknowledged that Cabinet ministers are suffering hardship too.
Dalitso Kabambe, president of the United Transformation Movement (UTM) party and a former governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, the central bank, urged Mutharika to address the nation and set concrete timelines. He said “we cannot continue like this”.
What It Means for You
Travellers should expect crowds and possible transport disruption in Lilongwe, Blantyre, Zomba and Mzuzu on Tuesday 17 November, on top of existing fuel shortages. The organisers say the protests will be peaceful, but turnout and policing are unclear.
Companies and aid groups with staff in Malawi may find imports and logistics harder to plan while foreign currency and fuel stay scarce. The protests will show how much public pressure the government faces while it seeks IMF support.
What Is Not Known
We do not know how many people will turn out, whether police or a court will allow the marches or whether any minister will answer the resignation demand. We also do not know how petitions in other districts will be handled.
What to Watch
The first checkpoint is Tuesday 17 November, when the marches in the cities and in Mulanje are due. The second is any news from the IMF talks Namalomba described.
Background is in our Malawi explainer and our report on Malawi’s debt burden. All our Malawi coverage is on one page.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the Malawi protests?
The Concerned Citizens of Malawi People Power Movement has called nationwide demonstrations for Tuesday 17 November 2026. Marches are planned in Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
Why are Malawians protesting?
Organisers cite fuel shortages, scarce foreign currency and power cuts. A separate Mulanje group also lists medicine shortages and blackouts.
What does the government say?
Minister Shadric Namalomba says the problems are structural and inherited from the previous government. He says President Peter Mutharika has indicated that stabilisation could take at least two years.
Sources: Concerned Citizens of Malawi People Power Movement, press statement and circular, 10 November 2026; Concerned Citizens of Mulanje, notification letter to the Mulanje District Commissioner, 10 November 2026; Shadric Namalomba, government minister, interview, 12 November 2026.
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