President Mnangagwa attends SADC extra-ordinary summit

Harare (New Ziana) –President Emmerson Mnangagwa has left Harare for Gaborone, Botswana to attend an extra-ordinary summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

The meeting, which will be attended by leaders from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe as the current, incoming and outgoing Chair of the Organ respectively, is expected to tackle the growing Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique and other security threats across the region.

Leaders from Malawi and Tanzania will also attend the meeting as part of the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) Troop Contributing Countries under the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“His Excellency Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, the President of the Republic of Botswana, and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, will on Friday, 27 November, 2020 host the Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit, Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) Troop Contributing Countries Plus Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Republic of Mozambique to discuss emerging peace and security issues in the region,” said SADC in a statement.

“The Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit will be preceded by the meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ which will be held on 26 November, 2020.”
The insurgency by the Islamic State-affiliated extremist group known as Al Sunnah wa Jama’ah
in northern Mozambique started in 2017 and has intensified this year, resulting in the death and displacement of thousands of people.

Recently, Zimbabwe’s President Emerson Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was ready to assist Mozambique stamp out the insurgency following the beheading of at least 50 people by the extremists.

“I am deeply shocked by reports of terrorist activity in Mozambique. These acts of barbarity must be stamped out wherever they are found. Zimbabwe is ready to assist in any way we can. The security of our region is paramount in the protection of our people,” President Mnangagwa tweeted early this month.

Zimbabwean troops played a key role in ending Mozambique’s decades-old civil war in 1992, but this time, authorities in Harare have said they would only intervene militarily in concert with other SADC countries.

New Ziana