Malawi to probe border attack

Maputo - Malawi's president has promised his Mozambican counterpart that he will investigate an attack on a Mozambican border police post allegedly carried out by Malawian police, state media reported on Thursday.

Speaking at the end of a three-day state visit that was overshadowed by the allegations, Malawian leader Bingo wa Mutharika said he will report back to President Armando Guebuza on the raid in northern border town Caloca.

"I expect to send a report to my brother Guebuza after the meeting with the (Malawian national) security council, but I believe there was some sort of a misunderstanding caused by a group of people. That could not be an action of the Malawian government," Mutharika told the official Mozambican news agency AIM.

According to Mozambique's interior ministry, a group of people fired tear gas and bullets at the police station last Monday, setting fire to the building and destroying weapons and ammunition.

Mozambican state media reported that the raiders were dressed in Malawian police uniforms. However, an interior ministry spokesperson declined on Thursday to comment, saying an investigation was in progress.

Mutharika, who arrived in Mozambique on Monday, cancelled part of his agenda after learning of the attack.

"Yesterday (Tuesday), when I received a report on the incident I was very concerned," Mutharika told AIM. "I thought it could be unpleasant to start a trip like this while there is an important issue to resolve."

Four Mozambican police assigned to the Caloca post have been arrested and charged with negligence for failing to stop the raid, reported the state-controlled newspaper Noticias.