By Rence Martine
An Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) that begins today (20 November) is scheduled to discuss the increasingly unstable political situation in Mozambique following the elections held on 9 October.
The extra-ordinary summit that meets in Harare, Zimbabwe will also decide the future of regional military support for the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the fight against armed groups operating in the eastern part of the country.
In Mozambique, the National Elections Commission (CNE) said in its preliminary results that the ruling Frelimo party and its presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, comprehensively won the elections.
No opposition party believed results giving Frelimo over 70 per cent of the vote, particularly as the CNE is a deeply politicised and unprofessional body, dominated by Frelimo appointees.
Opposition presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane claimed that his own count of the polling station results sheets showed that he had won the election, but it was being stolen to keep Frelimo in power.
Mondlane, who is now in hiding somewhere outside the country, called for strikes and demonstrations in protest. His supporters heeded the calls, resulting in clashes between protestors and the police, leading to dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.
The meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers was preceded by a meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
The mandate of the Organ is to provide a foundation of peace and stability in the region as a prerequisite for the achievement of SADC objectives of socio-economic development, poverty eradication and regional integration espoused in the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 and the SADC Vision 2050.
SADC is also set to discuss progress in addressing peace and security issues in the DRC, a country rich in minerals but plagued by decades of conflict.
The ongoing violence in the DRC has caused significant instability, displacing more than six million people, according to the United Nations.
SADC considers peace and security a crucial pillar for the region's integration, growth, and development agenda. To address the long-standing instability in the DRC, which has remained fragile since the late 1990s, SADC deployed a regional military force, known as the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), on December 15, 2023.
As the mission nears the end of its initial one-year mandate in December 2024, regional leaders will decide its future, with strong indications that the mandate will be extended.
The Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers, Professor Amon Murwira said the mission’s future would be determined based on the findings from a recent field assessment report.
"It is therefore crucial that we take urgent and decisive steps to bring lasting peace and stability to the lives of the people in eastern DRC," declared Murwira, who is also Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister.
SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi emphasized that investing in regional peace and security "is a worthwhile investment," as it lays the foundation for sustainable development and prosperity across southern Africa.
"Our goal of securing peace and stability in eastern DRC will only be achieved when our Congolese brothers and sisters, many of whom have been displaced, can safely return to their homes and live in an environment that allows them to rebuild their lives," he said.
The Summit of Heads of State and Government will be preceded by the Extraordinary SADC Organ Troika Summit, which will be chaired by Dr Hussein Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council representing Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. (RM)
