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The Malawi Young Pioneers (MYP) were the paramilitary wing of the Malawi Congress Party. Their Commander-in-Chief was President Hastings Kamuzu Banda. They originally were supposed to function as a national youth service program with a development agenda.[1] However, over time, they strayed away from this mission and became an intricate network of espionage and repression.[1] The Young Pioneers organization was a major instrument of Dr Banda's one-party dictatorship and domestic terrorism.[2] Pioneers bore arms, conducted espionage and intelligence operations, and were Banda's most trusted bodyguards around Hastings Kamuzu Banda.[3] Both the Malawi Army and Police resented the Pioneers for usurping their roles as security agents.[2]