Fergus Cochrane-Dyet | |
---|---|
High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Zambia | |
In office 21 April 2016 –August 2019 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | Lucy Joyce |
Succeeded by | Nicholas Wooley |
High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Malawi | |
In office September 2009 –27 April 2011 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Prime Minister | Gordon Brown David Cameron |
Preceded by | Richard Wildash |
Succeeded by | Kirk Hollingsworth |
High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Seychelles | |
In office 2007 –2009 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Prime Minister | Gordon Brown Tony Blair |
Preceded by | Diana Skingle |
Succeeded by | Matthew Forbes |
Personal details | |
Born | 16 January 1965 |
Nationality | British |
Spouse | Susie Cochrane-Dyet (m. 1987) |
Children | 3 |
Education | Felsted School |
Fergus Cochrane-Dyet OBE (born 16 January 1965) is a British diplomat who served as High Commissioner to Zambia from April 2016 until August 2019, being succeeded by Nicholas Woolley. [1] In 2011, while serving as High Commissioner to Malawi, he was declared persona non grata and expelled from the country because of controversial comments he made in a leaked diplomatic cable.
Cochrane-Dyet attended first Witham Hall prep school and then Felsted School in Essex, England from 1978 until 1983. [2] He graduated from Durham University in 1987 with a degree in Anthropology. [3]
Cochrane-Dyet has held diplomatic positions representing the British government in Afghanistan, Australia, Guinea, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, and Zambia. His first position as head of mission was as the British High Commissioner to the Seychelles from 2007 to 2009. In September 2009, he became the British High Commissioner to Malawi. After his expulsion from Malawi, he spent a year as Deputy Head of Mission in Helmand, Afghanistan. He was appointed British Ambassador to Liberia in 2013 and was replaced in April 2015. [4] He was appointed High Commissioner to Zambia in February 2016 [5] and took up the post when he presented his letter of credence to President Lungu on 21 April 2016. [6]
In April 2011, the Malawian newspaper The Nation published an article quoting a leaked diplomatic telegram from Cochrane-Dyet in which he wrote that Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika was "becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism". [7] On 27 April, Malawi's government declared Cochrane-Dyet persona non grata and expelled him from the country. [8] The United Kingdom responded by expelling Malawi's acting high commissioner, Ms. Flossie Chidyaonga. [9] [10] British aid to Malawi was also cut off. [11]
In October 2011, Mutharika apologised for the expulsion of Cochrane-Dyet and lifted his ban from Malawi. [12] Mutharika died in April 2012 and shortly afterward the British Foreign Secretary announced that a new high commissioner would be appointed. [13]
Cochrane-Dyet has been married to Susie since 1987, with three sons: James, Alex and William. He is currently enrolled at St Hugh's College, University of Oxford, reading for an MSc in African Studies, [14] where he rows for the St Hugh's College Boat Club.
Cochrane-Dyet was appointed OBE "for services to British foreign policy" in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 2015. [15]
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi and formerly known as Nyasaland, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south and southwest. Malawi spans over 118,484 km2 (45,747 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 19,431,566. Malawi's capital and largest city is Lilongwe. Its second-largest is Blantyre, its third-largest is Mzuzu and its fourth-largest is Zomba, the former capital.
The history of Malawi covers the area of present-day Malawi. The region was once part of the Maravi Empire. In colonial times, the territory was ruled by the British, under whose control it was known first as British Central Africa and later Nyasaland. It becomes part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The country achieved full independence, as Malawi, in 1964. After independence, Malawi was ruled as a one-party state under Hastings Banda until 1994.
Bingu wa Mutharika was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democratic Progressive Party, which he founded in February 2005; it obtained a majority in Malawi's parliament in the 2009 general election.
George T. Chaponda is a Malawian career diplomat and politician who served as Malawi's Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development from 2016 to 2017. He is a founding member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and is a DPP Member of Parliament from Mulanje district in southern Malawi.
Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician, who served as President of Malawi, from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She is the founder and leader of the People's Party, created in 2011. An educator and grassroots women's rights activist, she was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and the Vice-President of Malawi from May 2009 to April 2012. She has served in various roles as a member of Parliament and as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare before she became the President of the Republic of Malawi.
Ethel Zyauya Mutharika was the First Lady of Malawi and wife of the President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika. Mutharika was born in Zimbabwe. As First Lady, wa Mutharika was known for her charitable work and had established the Ethel Mutharika Foundation in an effort to help the poor of Malawi. Wa Mutharika died in Lilongwe after a long battle with cancer at the age of 63.
Madame Callista Chapola-Chimombo is a Malawian politician and the widow of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She served as the First Lady of the Republic of Malawi from 2010 to 2012. Chimombo is a previous member of the Cabinet of Malawi as a National Coordinator of Maternal, Infant and Child Health and HIV/Nutrition/Malaria and Tuberculosis.
Arthur Peter Mutharika is a Malawian politician and lawyer who was President of Malawi from May 2014 to June 2020. Mutharika has worked in the field of international justice, specialising in international economic law, international law and comparative constitutional law. He informally served as an adviser to his older brother, President Bingu wa Mutharika, on issues of foreign and domestic policy from the onset of his election campaign until the President's death on 5 April 2012.
The Nation is a newspaper based in Blantyre, Malawi, owned by Nations Publications Limited. It began distribution on 26 July 1993, and became a daily newspaper on 11 July 1994, coming out on Mondays through Fridays. Its sister newspaper, Saturday Nation, now called Weekend Nation, was launched in 1995.
Eta Elizabeth Banda is a former Malawian politician who was the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2011. Prior to entering politics, she worked as a health professional and university administrator.
The 2011 Malawi protests were protests aimed at winning political and economic reforms or concessions from the government of Malawi. On 20 July, Malawian organisations protested against perceived poor economic management and poor governance by President Bingu wa Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party. After the first two days of protests, 18 deaths, 98 serious injuries and 275 arrests had been reported. Further demonstrations were organised on 17 August and 21 September The first protest was later cancelled due to the intervention of a UN representative in initiating a dialogue; however, the talks broke down with more protests planned for Red Wednesday through a national vigil.
Flossy Gomile-Chidyaonga was the Deputy High Commissioner of Malawi to Britain and Tanzania. She was involved in a diplomatic spat between Malawi and the United Kingdom in 2011 due to a leaked diplomatic cable, and was expelled. She was the Malawian High Commissioner to Tanzania.
Malawi and the United Kingdom have formal diplomatic relations. They are both Commonwealth countries.
China-Malawi relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Malawi and China. Malawi has an embassy in Beijing. China has an embassy in Lilongwe. Malawi had relations with the ROC based on Taiwan, but broke the relations in 2008.
Kena Mphonda is a career diplomat and currently the Malawi High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He was appointed on 14 March 2015. He succeeded Bernard Sande in 2015. He presented his credentials to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on 18 October 2015.
India–Malawi relations refers to the international relations that exist between India and Malawi.