Niël Terblanché
Militant behaviour by rebels in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and terrorist activities in northern Mozambique are threatening the stability of the Southern African Development Community and the safety of its people.
In this regard, an extraordinary summit of the heads of state and governments of the SADC Organ Troika and Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) and Contributing Countries to the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Mozambique was held virtually on Wednesday.
The summit was officially opened by Dr Hage Geingob, the President of the Republic of Namibia, as the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. The meeting was chaired by the President of the Republic of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, who is also the Incoming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
In his opening address, President Geingob said that the terrorist activities that have continued to plague the Eastern DRC have resulted in the death of well over five million people, and displaced millions of others.
“The impact of the conflict in Eastern DRC has been felt across our Region, as many of our countries are hosting refugees from DRC; rendering them the necessary support to start new lives. We owe a debt to the men and women in uniform, under the command of the SADC Force Intervention Brigade, in particular from the Republics of Malawi and South Africa, and the United Republic of Tanzania, for their tireless efforts towards the restoration of peace and stability in that Region,” he said.
Participants in the virtual summit deliberated on the prevailing security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Cabo Delgado Province of the Republic of Mozambique.
According to the joint communique issued at the end of the summit participants expressed concern about the continued unstable and deteriorating security situation in the Eastern DRC and condemned the upsurge of conflicts and hostile activities of all insurgent groups, including M23 rebels and ADF terrorist groups operating in the Eastern DRC, with support from foreign aggressors.
The summit called for the immediate cessation of hostilities by all armed groups and unconditional withdrawal from the currently occupied areas, and it committed to exploring additional measures to the current diplomatic efforts, to force the M23 and other armed groups to abandon all forms of attack.
According to the joint communique, participants approved the mandate and supporting legal and operational instruments for deploying the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a regional response to address the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation.
The delegates commended the commitment by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to supplement the budget for the SADC Mission in the DRC.
The delegates acknowledged the need for additional resources to support the peace processes in the region and called for campaigns aimed at mobilising resources from the African Union, the United Nations and other International Cooperating Partners to support efforts towards the restoration of peace and security in the Republic of Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Summit participants took note of the improved security situation in Cabo Delgado Province of the Republic of Mozambique and the gradual return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their places of origin, primarily due to reduced terrorist activities, and commended the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) for the unwavering commitment and sacrifices it made in restoring and maintaining peace and security in the province.
The meeting resolved to extend the mandate of SAMIM by twelve months to consolidate the gains achieved since the deployment of peacekeepers and further enhance stabilization processes and facilitate the safe return of Internal Displaced Persons to their places of origin.
The participants commended the Government of the Republic of Mozambique for initiating strategies to consolidate the regained territories and an action plan to be implemented after the withdrawal of SAMIM.
