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SADC Calls for Strengthening of Military Counter-Terrorism Capabilities in Cabo Delgado

SADC Calls for Strengthening of Military Counter-Terrorism Capabilities in Cabo Delgado

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) called yesterday, January 31, for strengthening the operational capacity of the regional military force in Cabo Delgado, in the country’s northern region.

“The summit reiterated the call on member states to urgently respond to requests for critical capabilities to increase the operational capacity of the SADC mission in Mozambique,” the regional leaders said, without giving details, at the end of the meeting of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security in the Namibian capital, Windhoek. The presidents of Namibia, Zambia, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) also “noted” the ongoing investigations into the bodies burned recently in northern Mozambique, according to the final statement, to which Lusa had access.

“The summit noted the ongoing investigations being carried out by the leadership of SAMIM [Southern African military mission in Mozambique] following a disturbing video on social media depicting what appears to be SAMIM personnel burning dead people and reiterated that the public will be informed as soon as the investigations are completed, as communicated by the president of the body on 11 January 2023,” it noted.

At Tuesday’s meeting in Namibia’s capital, a “minute of silence” was also observed in memory of the soldiers of the Southern African military mission in Mozambique “who lost their lives in the line of duty.”

In the final communiqué, the regional leaders “expressed condolences” to the governments of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Republics of Botswana and Zambia, and United Republic of Tanzania “and their families for the loss of their citizens,” without advancing details on the number of victims.

In addition to the presidents of Namibia, Zambia, South Africa and DR Congo, the heads of government of Lesotho and Essuatini (formerly Swaziland), as well as the head of the military mission of SAMIM, participated in the extraordinary summit of the ‘troika’ of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security.

The Republic of Mozambique was represented by the Minister of National Defense, Cristóvão Artur Chume, according to the final communiqué.

The province of Cabo Delgado has been plagued by conflict since 2017 that is terrorizing the population. Armed rebel groups have looted and massacred villages and towns across the province, and a variety of attacks have been claimed by the ‘arm’ of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in that region.

The conflict has already caused more than 4000 deaths (data from The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) and at least one million displaced people, according to an assessment made by the Mozambican authorities.

Since July 2022, a military offensive by Maputo, with support from Rwanda and later SADC, allowed for a climate of greater security in the region that had not been felt for years, and recovered localities that were controlled by the rebels, such as the town of Mocímboa da Praia, which had been occupied since 2020.

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