THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) cannot delegate its peace and security to others, deputy prime minister and the minister of international relations and cooperation minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has said.
She said others only support and assist when there is a need, “but the responsibility for the promotion and the maintenance of peace and security in our region lies with us”.
Nandi-Ndaitwah was speaking during the extraordinary meeting of the ministerial committee of the SADC Troika of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in Windhoek yesterday.
The meeting took place ahead of the SADC Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit that takes place today.
She said new developments in the region, including political upheavals and conflicts in some member states, warrant further engagement.
The countries concerned, including Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), “will provide a further update to our principals”, Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
SADC executive director Elias Magosi said the meeting, which comes two months after a similar meeting, discussed “ways and means of consolidating peace and stability, while mitigating the emerging threats to peace and security that have the potential to reverse the gains we have made since the founding of our regional body”.
Magosi noted that the security situation in the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique remains challenging and volatile.
“Our men and women deployed on the ground continue to make bold strides in facing the enemy and covering the whole spectrum of humanitarian, as well as peace-building initiatives,” he said.
He added that the security situation in the eastern part of DRC remains unstable and is worrying, requiring urgent attention.
“Our commitment to finding lasting peace and security for DRC remains strong since the deployment of the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), working under the Monusco mandate. We continue to engage the United Nations to ensure that the operational capability of the FIB is efficient, swift and tailored to the situation as it evolves,” he said.
President Hage Geingob convened the summit, as the chairperson of the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, to consider the peace and security situation in southern Africa.
His South African counterpart president Cyril Ramaphosa will also attend the meeting, his office confirmed yesterday.
