South Africa will this month host an emergency summit of the security troika of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to discuss the political situation in the region.
The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement on Friday that the Extra-Ordinary Summit of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation is set for Pretoria on July 21.
The extraordinary summit takes place amid a surge in armed attacks in Cabo Delgado by militants linked to the Islamic State.
The insurgency has displaced more than 800,000 people from hotspots in the province, with about 4,000 others killed.
The organ meeting is also expected to discuss the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and political tensions in the kingdoms of Eswatini and Lesotho.
Perennial problems in the mineral-rich eastern DRC have dominated discussions at meetings of the SADC security troika for years, while Eswatini has recently experienced turmoil amid calls by pro-democracy activists for political reforms.
Lesotho is due to hold elections in October, a scenario that is normally preceded and followed by turmoil.
The Organ Troika, which comprises the leaders of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, is responsible for promoting peace and security in SADC and protecting the region from instability due to the breakdown of law and order as well as developing a common foreign policy for the region.
It is currently chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, with Namibia’s President Hage Geingob as deputy chairperson and President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana as outgoing chairperson.
JN/APA