Chakwera’s spin doctor downplays reports of Malawi sending soldiers to fight Islamists in Mozambique
State House director of communication and executive assistant to President Lazarus Chakwera, Sean Kampondeni, has played down reports that the Malawi leader is sending Malawi troops to Mozambique mid this month to fight the Islamist insurgents.
Kampondeni told journalists on Monday, during the weekly media briefing at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre, that Chakwera has not not ordered the Malawi soldiers to go to Mozambique.
His rebuttal follows a story Nyasa Times carried citing sources in the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) that say the Malawi troops might be dispatched as early as December 15, 2020.
However, Nyasa Times understands that Malawi’s planned military intervention has been stopped as unlawful in the absence of consent from the Mozambican government under two principal security treaties: the SADC Mutual Defence Pact and the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation.
Chakwera, who is an incoming chairperson of Southern African Development Community (SADC), agreed to respond to the Islamist insurgency ravaging areas in northern Mozambique.
Five presidents who attended an extraordinary summit in the Botswana capital Gaborone, “finalized a comprehensive regional response” to the unrest in Mozambique, according to a SADC communiqué.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Elsenhower Mkaka said in a statement that the Sadc meeting did not discuss the issues of sending troops to Mozambique, saying the “support response is yet to be considered.”
The jihadists, who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, have been active for three years in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique. They attack villages to sow terror and try to establish a caliphate.
Attacks, including the killing of civilians and clashes with security forces in various parts of Cabo Delgado province, have increased in recent weeks.
The UN considers the human rights situation “increasingly alarming”.
According to the United Nations and NGOs, the crisis has already caused, more than 2,000 deaths, over half of them civilians, and 350,000 displaced persons, in a strategic region for the exploitation of huge gas reserves. The southern African nation relies on the gas reserves to increase its income and become one of the world’s main exporters.
The presidents of Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe attended the meeting. Tanzania was represented by its Vice President and Mozambique by its Minister of Defense.
Last week, Mozambique and neighbouring Tanzania signed an agreement to fight jihadists locally known as Al-Shabab, meaning the ‘’youth’’ in Arabic.
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kodi where is this chicken like thinking coming from bwana Chakwera, you are nothing but a disgrace. Asilikali ake atiwo amene muli nawo ku Malawi kuno oti angakamenyane ndi ma gorilla fighters like these islamists? Americans and other western countries are now fighting endless battles with these grouping nde mwati Malawi Army ikatani? You seem to be very drunk with this presidency…..
The reasons why Kenya is not at peace with Alshabaab is because Americans used Kenya as a pulppet to fight with Alshaabab in Somalia. Remember the Westgate Mall masctre. With our bad security borders, i will not be surprised to see these thugs butchering people in Mangochi and Salima. Think first before you act. The best way is to send troops to protect our border with Mozambique just like Kamuzu did in Nayuchi Machinga boarder in the 80s.
Chonde osamalowelera ndeu yoti sikukukhuzani.Apanso zikuwoneka kuti a Mozambique sakufuna Malawi ilowelerepo, paja timakhala amthira kuwiri. Kwinaku kuthandiza boma kwinakunso tikuthandiza zigawenga.A Mozambique sadayiwale zimenezi.
This is one guy that perhaps shouldn’t come back. Don’t ask me why
Plz don’t do that,Mr President,
Tiki ndi ana azigogo azathawa bwanji,
Hulu limenero silimagonja,pakhalekhale mukawaputa mutibweresera mavuto
Kufuna kutipalamulira mavuto uku! This is how Boko Haram insurgency escalated in West Africa. Initially, it was in Nigeria, when Cameroon and others joined the fight, their citizens became victims.