By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) has directed an immediate “fact-finding mission” to assess and investigate further the situation on the ground in Mozambique after attacks by insurgents allegedly linked to Islamic State two weeks ago.
This while another summit has been convened for later this month to decide what should be done.
“The Double Troika Summit has directed an immediate technical deployment to the Republic of Mozambique, and convening of an Extraordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ by April 28 2021 that will report to the Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit on April 29, 2021,” Sadc said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Maputo — accompanied by the ministers of international relations and co-operation Naledi Pandor, defence and military veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and state security Ayanda Dlodlo — for the extraordinary Double Troika Summit of heads of state and government of Sadc.
The summit, chaired by Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi in his capacity as chair of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, deliberated on measures to address terrorism in the country after continued terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado.
Two weeks ago, Mozambique was besieged by insurgents allegedly linked to Islamic State who overran the gas fields town of Palma, killing dozens of people and displacing many others.
Sadc leaders met on Wednesday and Thursday to deliberate and consider a regional response to the insurgency while the US has reportedly already sent a small army special forces team to Mozambique on a training mission.
In the brief statement, the summit condemned the terrorist attacks.
[It] noted with concern, the acts of terrorism perpetrated against innocent civilians, women and children, in some of the districts of Cabo Delgado province, condemned the terrorist attacks in strongest terms and affirmed that such heinous attacks cannot be allowed to continue without a proportionate regional response.
The summit expressed full solidarity with the Mozambican government and its people.
The summit said the SADC would continue to be committed “to contribute towards the efforts to bring about lasting peace and security, as well as reconciliation and development” in Mozambique.
Mozambique has, so far, been slow to accept any outside help to quell the insurgency, which could deter investment in future projects in the northern part of the country.