Southern African leaders agree on troops deployment to Mozambique

Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of states on Thursday directed an immediate technical deployment to the Republic of Mozambique, and the convening of a meeting of the ministerial committee of the organ by April 28, that will report to the Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit on April 29.

This was said during an Extraordinary Double Troika Summit of the Heads of State and Government of SADC in Maputo, Mozambique.

 “SADC is deeply concerned about the continued terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, especially for the lives and welfare of the residents who continue to suffer from the atrocious, brutal and indiscriminate assaults,” said Tyrone Seale, spokesperson for South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa, along with Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, Dr Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi and Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe were among the leaders in attendance at Thursday’s meeting.

SADC has been criticized for failing at previous summits to agree upon specific actions to combat Mozambique’s crisis, which threatens to spread instability in the region.

More than 2,600 people have been killed and 670,000 displaced since the rebel insurgency started in 2017, creating a massive humanitarian crisis, according to UN agencies.

Edited by Olajumoke Adeleke