Madonna's Malawian disruption

Feb 12, 2010, 16:31 GMT

Madonna's planned Malawian school has forced 200 villagers to move house.

The singer has reportedly paid out more than $115,000 to compensate the residents of Blantyre, Malawi, after they were ordered by government officials to make way for her $15 million Raising Malawi Girls Academy.

An official from the commissioner's office said: "The district commissioner for Lilongwe told the villagers to move off the land and make way for the construction of the academy because it was government land reserved for development projects."

The villagers had reportedly threatened to block the project - which aims to provide education to 500 impoverished children - unless they were given more cash after being paid $500,000 by the 51-year-old star's Raising Malawi foundation.

However, they were reportedly told by Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo, a senior official for the charity, they had been given "generous compensation" and had no reason to complain.

According to the source, a local chief advised the residents to "accept the reality as there is nothing we can do".

The group have been relocated to other villages.

Madonna has two adopted children from Malawi, Mercy, five, and David, four, as well as biological kids Lourdes, 13, and Rocco, nine.