Chakwera to face Mozambique insurgency challenge as Sadc chair: ‘Malawi committed to peace’
In coming Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) chair, President Lazarus Chakwera is likely to face the insurgency in Mozambique as his main challenge.
But speaking on Friday during the SADC extra-ordinary organ troika summit in Botswana, Chakwera has not said how he will help tackle the insurgency once he becomes the SADC chairperson.
The insurgency in north Mozambique by Islamists, threatens peace in neighbouring Tanzania and Malawi.
However, Chakwera assured SADC heads of states that Malawi remains committed to the cause of peace keeping and security in the region.
“Let me state unequivocally that Malawi remains committed to the FIB (Force Intervention Brigade) initiative of SADC, operating under MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
“Our commitment is not mere rhetoric, for even though Malawi’s contribution of troops to the FIB is down by 18 percent, a battalion of 700 of some of our finest soldiers remains deployed to this cause,” he said.
Chakwera highlighted the areas that Malawi was keen to support, which among others included, Malawi’s support for the SADC position on the establishment of Quick Reaction Forces (QRFs) under the Command Affiliation of the FIB Commander and Malawi supports for the SADC position on the attachment of staff officers from non-SADC TCCs to be on a permanent basis as an integral part of the FIB headquarters.
Southern African leaders agreed to come up with a comprehensive regional response to the armed insurgency in Mozambique which has triggered a humanitarian crisis amid a surge in internally displaced persons in the country.
The leaders agreed expressed continued SADC solidarity with the administration of President Filipe Nyusi.
“The Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit directed the finalization of a comprehensive regional response and support to the Republic of Mozambique to be considered urgently by the Summit,” the leaders said in a communique.
The SADC Organ meeting, which was chaired by Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, also discussed the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and pledged regional support to the development and implementation of the Joint Strategy on the Progressive and Phased Drawdown of MONUSCO in the DRC.
Approved in October, the strategy calls for a gradual withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers from several regions of the DRC.
In addition to Chakwera and Masisi who chairs the SADC Organ, other leaders who attended Friday’s meeting are DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa AND Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
They were joined by Mozambique’s Defence Minister Jaime Neto and Tanzania’s Vice President Samia Hassan.
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Chikonda mwini, sinkhani imene ya mtundu wa thayi
Journalists learn to report without sensationalising your reports. These regional meetings for heads of state just requires them to rubber stamp what plenary sessions by various committees have discussed and agreed on. All the leaders do is to give recommendations on what has already been agreed in initial plenary meetings and they merely pend their signatures. Here you are trying to paint a rosy picture for Chakwera on the Mozambique issue as if he will be the lead decider. Basically, all he will be required to do is to preside over the meetings held by heads of state, which of… Read more »
The existing problems in the SADC seem to be never ending: free movement of people and goods across its borders, unnecessary border levies, xenophobic attacks, unfairness in balance of trade, wars and refugees, cross border corruption and bribes etc.etc.
Foseki
First find out who is funding the rebel group. Where do they get the training. Where are they recruiting the young people.
If you can find those answers then you are almost 80% in defeating the rebels
Mr. President. We know you are MCP and you love your party. Your party colour red is good, but I bed you. It is better to change colours of your tie, not red all the time. Even if you put on blue or yellow ties, you will not change to become DPP nor UDF. Trump sometimes changes coloours of his tie to blue and yet the Republican colour is red so too are the democrats – men can appear in red and women in red while their party colour is blue. Labour and Conservatives do the same. Let’s learn from… Read more »