The Southern African Development Community (SADC) announced in its final communiqué of the SADC Double Troika Extraordinary Summit, held yesterday, the decision to send a technical team to Mozambique, to assess the country’s needs in the fight against terrorism.
“Double Troika Summit directed an immediate SADC Organ technical deployment to the Republic of Mozambique, and the convening of an Extraordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ by 28 April 2021 that will report to the Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit to be held in the Republic of Mozambique, on 29 April 2021″.
At the meeting in Maputo, an interministerial team from the regional organization was also approved to study the subject.
The results of the assessment will be submitted for consideration to an extraordinary Double Troika summit convened for the end of this month in Maputo, said the said SADC Executive Secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax.
“Double Troika Summit expressed SADC’s full solidarity with the Government and people of the Republic of Mozambique, and reaffirmed SADC’s continued commitment to contribute towards the efforts to bring about lasting peace and security, as well as reconciliation and development in the Republic of Mozambique.”
Also read: SADC to hold ‘Extraordinary’ meeting in Maputo to discuss security measures for Mozambique
Questions from the press were not allowed, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique, Verónica Macamo, said that the SADC technical team and the interministerial team will make the decision with regards to details for the assistance needed in the fight against terrorism in the region.
At the opening of the meeting, the chairman of the SADC Defense and Security Policy Organ and Botswana’s head of state, Mokgweetsi Masisi, defended “a collective response” against the “terrorist attacks” in northern Mozambique.
“The terrorist attacks in northern Mozambique are a threat to the entire southern African region and, therefore, we need a collective response,” said Masisi.
The violence unleashed more than three years ago in the province of Cabo Delgado gained a new escalation about two weeks ago, when armed groups first attacked the village of Palma, about six kilometers from the multimillion-dollar natural gas projects.
The attacks caused dozens of deaths and forced the flight of thousands of residents of Palma, aggravating a humanitarian crisis that has affected about 700,000 people in the province since the beginning of the conflict, according to data from the United Nations.
The Islamic State terrorist movement last week claimed control of the village of Palma, along the border with Tanzania, but the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces (SDS) have completely retaken control of the village, a spokesman announced on Monday. from Teatro Operacional Norte, Chongo Vidigal, an information reiterated on Wednesday by the Mozambican President.
Below you may read the communiqué:
Click to access Communique_of_the_Extraordinarty_SADC_Double_Troika_Summit_8_April_English.pdf
