SADC Official Praises Regional Cooperation on Peace, Security

By Xinhua 

August 18, 2023

The Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Elias Magosi has praised the organizations’ spirit of solidarity and cooperation to ensure regional peace and security in Luanda, Angola’s capital.

During his address at the SADC Ministerial Committee meeting on Cooperation in Politics, Defense, and Security on Wednesday, Magosi noted that while the region remains generally peaceful and stable, specific security challenges persist in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Cabo Delgado in Mozambique.

He mentioned that the SADC region had been actively deploying a mission to the DRC to support the country’s government in countering armed groups and restoring peace and security.

Magosi highlighted collaborative efforts with the United Nations to enhance the structure and mandate of the Intervention Brigade Force, to establish sustainable peace and stability in eastern DRC.

He also recalled that in July 2021, SADC had dispatched a military mission to the Republic of Mozambique to assist in combating acts of terrorism and violent extremism in the Cabo Delgado province.

He expressed optimism that the SADC would deliberate on necessary actions for peace and security in northern Mozambique and eastern DRC.

The meeting was attended by representatives from Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, SADC senior officials, and heads of defense and security institutions from countries in the region.

Headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana, SADC is an intergovernmental organization comprising 16 member states. It is dedicated to socioeconomic cooperation and integration, as well as collaborative efforts in politics and security among the countries of southern Africa.