Malawi police arrest human rights activists

Malawi police have arrested two human rights activists for threatening to shut down the president's official residences just hours after the president warned them.

The two who were arrested, Gift Trapence and Macdonald Sembereka, are members of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC).

They were arrested on Sunday night and police are looking for the organisation's leader Timothy Mtambo.

They had threatened to close the president's official residences in different cities across the country if he fails to sack the electoral body boss.

Nyasa Times reports that President Peter Mutharika warned HRDC on Sunday and quoted him as saying: "I'll show them what I'm made of".

Mr Trapence and Mr Sembereka have been charged with inciting violence according to HRDC member Luke Tembo.

The organisation has been organising protests against the handling of May 2019 presidential elections that the court ordered be repeated.