Over 200 migrants, the majority of them from Ethiopia, are currently incarcerated in Malawi prisons because of their undocumented status.

Most were on their way to South Africa, hoping to flee harsh poverty and make a better life there. The justice system for migrants in Malawi is unclear: most of these prisoners have finished serving their sentences and were supposed to have been released and repatriated already.

The migrants are detained in harsh condition: there is extensive overcrowding, food is inadequate, and sanitary conditions are precarious. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is providing medical care in two of these prisons.