The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has endorsed the deployment of an urgent fact-finding mission to Madagascar as regional leaders scramble to address escalating political and social tensions in the island nation.
An extraordinary summit of the troika of SADC’s Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, chaired by Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika, reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to supporting Madagascar’s return to peace, stability and democratic governance.
The summit was attended by Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango, Eswatini Foreign Affairs Minister Polile Shakantu and SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi.
According to a communiqué issued after the meeting, the troika approved the dispatch of a technical mission to conduct an assessment of the situation in Madagascar by 22 October.
“Summit endorsed the urgent deployment of a technical mission comprising Organ Troika Member States, supported by the SADC Secretariat, to undertake an all-inclusive fact-finding mission to the Republic of Madagascar by 22nd October 2025, and to report its findings to the Chairperson of the Organ by 31st October 2025,” the communiqué read.
The meeting resolved to convene another extraordinary Organ troika summit “immediately thereafter to deliberate on the mission report concerning the political and security situation in the Republic of Madagascar.”
The summit called on all Malagasy stakeholders to prioritise inclusive dialogue and refrain from violence, looting and destruction of property.
It also mandated the SADC Secretariat to engage strategic partners, including the African Union, United Nations and Indian Ocean Commission, to ensure coordinated interventions.
Madagascar, which currently chairs the 16-member SADC bloc, has been in turmoil following protests that began in late September, leading to a military-led takeover and the fleeing of President Andry Rajoelina at the weekend.
The summit approved a comprehensive review of the roadmap to end the crisis, to be conducted with support from the SADC Panel of Elders and Mediation Reference Group.
President Mutharika was tasked with delivering a formal message to Madagascar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveying SADC’s readiness to mediate the crisis.
JN/APA