Police in Dowa have arrested a 44-year-old Congolese national, Wilonje Ettando, for allegedly murdering his 22-year-old wife, Mapendo Assan, at Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
Dowa Police Station Public Relations Officer, Sub-Inspector Alice Sitima, confirmed the incident, which occurred on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
According to Sitima, Assan was taken to Dzaleka Health Centre by her husband and relatives in the early hours of Thursday after they claimed she had suddenly fallen ill.
However, medical personnel determined that she was already dead upon arrival and observed suspicious injuries on her body.
“The matter was immediately reported to police, and the body was taken to Dowa District Hospital for further examination,” Sitima said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Ettando had recently returned from Mozambique, where he had been living, and had joined his wife at Dzaleka Refugee Camp four days before the incident.
Police further established that the couple had reportedly been involved in a dispute over suspicions that Assan was pregnant.
A post-mortem examination later confirmed that Assan died from suffocation secondary to strangulation, with medical findings indicating a fractured neck and finger marks consistent with strangulation.
Medical examinations also confirmed that Assan was not pregnant.
Ettando remains in police custody and is expected to appear before court soon to answer a charge of murder.
