LILONGWE, Malawi: Malawi said on Tuesday that Israel had deported 12 workers who left the farms and orchards deserted by the Gaza conflict where they were sent to work.
The workers broke their contracts, left their legal jobs on the farms and started working in the bakery, Malawi government spokesman Moses Kunkuyu said in a statement.
Since November, hundreds of Malawians have flown to Israel as part of the government’s labour export programme, which aims to find jobs for young people and generate badly needed foreign exchange.
Many Malawians remain out of work as the country is gripped by an economic crisis that has brought massive cuts in government spending.
Israel’s farms, a valuable part of the economy, have lost thousands of workers since Hamas attacks sparked the Gaza war on October 7.
Dozens of foreign workers were among the 240 or so people Israel said were abducted in the attacks.
Lilongwe warned the remaining workers, many of them young men and women, that breach of contract “will not be tolerated”.
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Kunkuyu urged the workers to “desist from such behavior that brings this country into disrepute”.
After being processed, four of the 12 workers arrived back in the southern African country on Tuesday, while another eight will arrive on Wednesday, the statemwnt said.
The labour agreement has been criticized by human rights organizations and the Malawian opposition.
In November, opposition leader Kondwani Nankhumwa called it a bad deal because of the threat of war that has left tens of thousands dead.
“Both governments will ensure that the export of labour to Israel operates within the prevailing regulatory frameworks,” the Malawian government said.
Two weeks ago, Malawi opened an embassy in Tel Aviv, which its Foreign Minister Nancy Tembo said reaffirmed the government’s commitment to “long-term” bilateral relations between the two nations.
She said the labour deal would initially provide 3,000 workers.
