Per Kristen's question about what is actually done at police road blocks. As near as I can tell and from conversations with Malawians in the know, two things are done. I've added one more:
1) Tariff enforcement. Trucks will sometimes take back roads in and out of the country in order to avoid taxes on the goods they are transporting. The government, in response, set up road blocks that check for paperwork that affirms taxes have been paid. This, actually, makes sense.
2) Fugitive finding: This seems like a stretch, but I was told the roadblocks are also used to catch fugitives running from the law. Unlikely. They stop busses and mini-busses and "search" for people and things.
3) My own theory: Nothing. Road blocks are set up to assert power. In the end, they simply hinder the flow of transport and create more stops for traffic. When gas is $7-$11 dollars a gallon that's just one (err, many) more unnecessary stops.
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