Malawi’s government has announced plans to send 5,000 young people to work on Israeli farms.
The decision has already been facing criticism for sending 221 young people to the country last weekend.
Speaking to the BBC, Malawi’s Information Minister, Moses Kunkuyu defended the move stating that it was part of the government’s ongoing programme of providing employment to young people locally and abroad.
“We are looking at an initial figure of around 5,000, that’s what we are targeting now. This has been happening in Malawi for decades and we’ve been exporting young people to countries in Africa and outside Africa,” he said.
Mr Kunkuyu, however, said that Israel had assured Malawi that its citizens will work in safe zones unaffected by the fighting.
In a statement Malawian opposition leader Kondwani Nankhumwa said “Sending people to a war-torn country like Israel, where some countries are withdrawing their labour is something unheard of.”
The Malawians will replace some of the more than 10,000 foreign farm workers who have left Israel due to the war.