Malawi and Tanzania border dispute over Lake Malawi and Cote D'Ivoire: sporadic attacks make security sector reform necessary

The briefing addresses two distinct regional security issues: a resurfacing border dispute between Malawi and Tanzania triggered by oil and gas exploration in Lake Malawi, and the fragile security situation in Côte d'Ivoire where stalled security sector reform and DDR processes have left the country vulnerable to armed attacks.

• Tanzania has requested that Malawi cease oil and gas exploration in Lake Malawi until their border dispute is resolved, following Malawi's granting of an exploration licence to the British firm Surestream Petroleum.
• The border dispute centers on conflicting legal interpretations: Malawi relies on the 1890 Anglo-German agreement to claim the entire lake, while Tanzania argues that international law requires the border to be in the middle of the water body.
• In Côte d'Ivoire, recent attacks on military camps in Abidjan, including Akouedo and Yopougon, highlight the urgent need to complete security sector reform (SSR) and the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process.
• Security challenges in Côte d'Ivoire are compounded by a lack of command structure harmony, the proliferation of small arms, and a UN arms embargo that hampers the equipment of new armed forces.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2012). Malawi and Tanzania border dispute over Lake Malawi and Cote D'Ivoire: sporadic attacks make security sector reform necessary. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/malawi-and-tanzania-border-dispute-over-lake-malawi-and-cote-divoire-sporadic-attacks-make-security-sector-reform-necessary

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Malawi and Tanzania border dispute over Lake Malawi and Cote D'Ivoire: sporadic attacks make security sector reform necessary. 2012. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/malawi-and-tanzania-border-dispute-over-lake-malawi-and-cote-divoire-sporadic-attacks-make-security-sector-reform-necessary.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Malawi and Tanzania border dispute over Lake Malawi and Cote D'Ivoire: sporadic attacks make security sector reform necessary |date=August 2012 |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/malawi-and-tanzania-border-dispute-over-lake-malawi-and-cote-divoire-sporadic-attacks-make-security-sector-reform-necessary |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2012malawi, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Malawi and Tanzania border dispute over Lake Malawi and Cote D'Ivoire: sporadic attacks make security sector reform necessary}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/malawi-and-tanzania-border-dispute-over-lake-malawi-and-cote-divoire-sporadic-attacks-make-security-sector-reform-necessary}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }