Luanda - Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Elias Magosi praised Wednesday in Luanda the spirit of solidarity and cooperation to guarantee regional peace and security.
Elias Magosi was speaking at the meeting of the Ministerial Commission of the SADC body for Cooperation in Politics, Defence and Security, aimed to prepare the report to be submitted at the 43rd Summit of Head of State and Government of the Region, to be held on Thursday ( 17) in Luanda, Angola.
He stated in his speech that although the region remains generally peaceful and stable, there are some security challenges in the eastern region of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in the province of Cabo Delegado, in Mozambique.
The official noted that the SADC region has been working for the deployment of the Mission in the DRC to support the Government of that country in the fight against armed groups and restore peace and security in the eastern part.
Elias Magosi underlined the steps taken with the UN to strengthen the structure and mandate of the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), which aims to bring sustainable peace and stability in the east of the DRC.
He recalled the sending, by SADC, of a military mission to Mozambique (SAMIM) in July 2021, with a mandate to help combat acts of terrorism and violent extremism in Cabo Delgado province.
The SADC Executive Secretary said he expected the meeting to deliberate on the necessary actions for peace and security in northern Mozambique and eastern DRC.
He also hopes that the meeting will assess progress in the implementation of ongoing national reforms in Lesotho, and progress in the political and security situation in Eswatini.
He also highlighted the successful elections in Angola, held on 24 August - 7 October 2022 and added that four of the member countries will conduct elections later this year, in line with SADC principles.
The meeting has representatives from Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, SADC Senior Officials and Heads of Defence and Security Institutions from countries in the region.
The organisation comprises Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. JFS/AL/CF/NIC
