Malawi: former army chief arrested over arms trafficking to Sudan
Paul Valentino Phiri, a former chief of the Malawian army, was arrested and questioned on Thursday 1 October by Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau on five charges and released on bail of 10 million kwacha. He is accused of using his position to facilitate the transit through Lilongwe of an arms shipment presented as destined for the Malawian army but in fact delivered to "rebel forces in Sudan". According to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the cargo was flown in from Kenya, hidden in a warehouse in the capital and then transferred to Chad before reaching Sudan.
Why it matters: The case illustrates how the war in Sudan is reorganising arms-trafficking routes on the continent, the briefing's conflict and security theme.