Malawi: Former army chief arrested on suspicion of arms trafficking to Sudan

Malawi's anti-corruption agency announced on Thursday that it had arrested a former army chief of staff for his alleged role in arms trafficking to war-torn Sudan.

The arrest of General Paul Valentino Phiri comes after an investigation in July by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), based in Malawi, which, based on American intelligence, implicated members of the army in supplying heavy weapons to the Sudanese paramilitaries of the RSF (Rapid Support Forces), who have been at war with the Sudanese army since 2023.

"The charges stem from allegations regarding his role in facilitating illegal arms trafficking in June and July 2025," according to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a statement announcing Phiri's arrest.

The retired general is being prosecuted on five counts "related to abuse of office and operations concerning terrorist property," the statement continued, without further details.

Mr. Phiri, 54, led the Malawi Defence Forces from July 2023 to October 2025, the month following the defeat of former President Lazarus Chakwera (2020-2025) in the presidential election.

The general's lawyer, Powell Nkutabasa, confirmed to AFP that the main charges involved abuse of office, violation of procurement procedures and trafficking of goods linked to terrorism, referring to weapons.

"He was summoned by the ACB today (Thursday) and was arrested upon arrival," the lawyer said.

In its investigation, the PIJ reported that the CIA, the American intelligence service, had traced an operation in which weapons were transported by cargo plane to the airport in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, before being loaded onto another aircraft bound for Sudan via Chad.

The cargo, according to the accompanying documents, was destined for the armed forces of Malawi, according to the PIJ investigation.

The war in Sudan, which has pitted the army against the formerly allied RSF paramilitaries since April 2023, has killed more than 200,000 people, according to humanitarian workers, and displaced more than 13 million Sudanese, according to the UN.

Khartoum regularly accuses Abu Dhabi of equipping the FSR. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has always vehemently denied any interference, despite the evidence presented in numerous international reports.