SADC Escalates Mozambique Intervention

27 APR, 2021 - 11:04 

There have been heightened concerns over growing terrorist activities in Mozambique especially after the insurgent attacks on Palma – a coastal town in Cabo Delgado Province – on March 24.

Mukudzei Chingwere Herald Reporter

The SADC region is escalating operational modalities for decisive intervention in war-torn Mozambique with Ministers meeting in Maputo tomorrow to map the way forward.

The SADC Extraordinary Ministerial Committee of the organ meeting comes on the back of a Double Troika Summit, which was also attended by President Mnangagwa, earlier this month agreed on a regional intervention to quell the Islamic State insurgents which have ravaged Cabo Delgado.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Fredrick Shava is leading the Zimbabwean delegation in Maputo and is accompanied by service chiefs from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

In a statement on their Twitter handle, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said Minister Shava is currently getting a brief from Zimbabwe embassy officials in Maputo on the situation obtaining on the ground.

Speaking after returning from Mozambique for the Double Troika Summit early this month, President Mnangagwa said it was now the responsibility of defence and security chiefs to implement the resolution.

“First, we had the Troika itself, which sat and adopted the recommendations of the Ministers of Defence and Security which, in the main, included the need to have SADC take responsibility in dealing with the threat in Cabo Delgado, in the sense that SADC, through its Force Intervention Brigade — our SADC force — should be resuscitated and capacitated immediately so that it can intervene,” he said.

“Yes, what is happening now is that the defence and security chiefs have the responsibility of implementing the decisions of the Double Troika,” said President Mnangagwa.