Zimbabwe has so far mapped just 20 percent of its borderline and may likely miss a 2023 African Union target for member states to reaffirm their boundaries under a project to prevent conflicts among countries, APA learnt here on Monday.
Quoting a report by the Parliamentary Public Affairs Committee (PAC), the privately owned NewsDay reported that the southern African country is lagging behind in mapping its borders in line with the African Union Border Programme (AUBP), with only 20 percent having been demarcated since 2011.
The AUBP was adopted in 2007 with ambitious goals of “delimitation and demarcation of African boundaries” by 2023.
“Out of the total 2,998km of the Zimbabwean boundary, only 585km, which is 20 percent, were reaffirmed since the inception of the AUBP programme,” the PAC report said.
Zimbabwe shares boundaries with four countries – Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.
Out of these, only 542 kilometres of the 841km boundary with Botswana has so far been mapped while a mere 43km of the 1,134km borderline with Mozambique has also been reaffirmed.
“There were no reaffirmations done on the South African and Zambian borders measuring a total of 225km and 798km respectively,” the report said.
The PAC investigations commenced in May 2019 and ended in March 2020.
The AUBP was a response, among other things, to the need to “address transnational criminal activities”, and promote peace, security and stability in Africa.
At the time of its adoption in 2007, it was estimated that less than a quarter of African borders had been delimited and demarcated.
JN/APA