The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has extended the mandate of a regional intervention force assisting Mozambique to repel an onslaught by Islamic State-linked jihadists in the north of the country, the regional bloc announced on Tuesday.
In a communique following an extraordinary summit of SADC’s security troika held on Tuesday in Pretoria, the regional body said it had decided to extended the mandate of the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) beyond July 15 when it was going to end.
“Summit approved an interim extension of the SAMIM mandate beyond 15 July 2022, to facilitate continuation of SAMIM operations, pending the review and consideration of a comprehensive SAMIM report by the Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled to be held from 17-18 August 2022 in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the communique said.
SAMIM was deployed by SADC in July 2021 at the invitation of the Mozambican government which has been battling an insurgency since October 2017.
At least eight SADC countries have contributed troops to the 3,000-member regional force. These are Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
Thursday’s meeting was chaired by SADC chairperson and Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera and was attended by Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi, Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
Ramaphosa chairs the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
JN/APA