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U.S. Ambassador Tear-Gassed in Malawi Amid Election Protests

Armed Malawian policemen walk through a cloud of teargas as they disperse demonstrators in Lilongwe on June 6, 2019. — Armed Malawian policemen walk through a cloud of teargas as they disperse demonstrators in Lilongwe on June 6, 2019.
Photographer: Amos Gumulira/AFP via Getty Images

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June 6, 2019, 5:22 PM UTC

The U.S. Ambassador to Malawi, Virginia Palmer, was tear-gassed on Thursday as police also fired live ammunition during a clash with demonstrators in the capital, Lilongwe, according to a spokesman for the main opposition party.

Palmer, who was meeting with Lazarus Chakwera, president of the Malawi Congress Party, wasn’t injured aside from the effect of the gas, Maurice Munthali said in a telephone interview. Chakwera was also affected, he said.