Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not release press statement titled ‘Malawians temporarily banned from travelling to the United States’

False

Security

Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not release press statement titled ‘Malawians temporarily banned from travelling to the United States’

FACT-CHECKED by iVerify

March 19, 2025

On 14 March 2025, The New York Times reported that the United States of America has placed Malawi on draft list of countries with weak passport security measures, raising a possibility of travel restrictions on Malawian passport holders. Following the article, a statement dated 16 March 2025 and purportedly from Malawi's Ministry of Foreign Affairs circulated online. The statement titled 'Malawians temporarily banned from travelling to the United States' and claims the government has received the news with great concern and that diplomatic efforts are underway to resolve the issue peacefully and swiftly.

Claim

Malawians temporarily banned from travelling to the US.

Rating Justification

iVerify Malawi verified the circulating statement and found that it is not from the Ministry of Foreign and therefore false. To arrive at the verdict, iVerify Malawi closely examined the statement and talked to the spokesperson in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Charles Nkhalamba who disowned it. The statement’s structure, including the font, does not look like the structure and the font that the Ministry uses for its statements. iVerify Malawi also used the statement that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs legitimately released on 15 March and it was duly posted on its Facebook page.

Evidence and References

The statement that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on the issue of the United States and Malawian Passport. https://web.facebook.com/share/p/18sLeKu7wQ/

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