Zimbabwe will prioritise initiatives to address regional food insecurity and restore peace and security over the coming year as the country takes over leadership of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a cabinet minister said on Tuesday.
Speaking after assuming the chairmanship of the SADC Council of Ministers, Zimbabwe’s Foreign Minister Frederick Shava said regional integration programmes in SADC risked being derailed unless measures are taken to address issues of food insecurity and political instability across southern Africa.
“It is only fair to state that, despite our best efforts, more needs to be done. Our regional development agenda cannot be achieved when there is no peace and tranquillity within our region,” Shava said after taking over the Council of Ministers chairmanship from Angola’s External Relations Minister Téte António in Harare.
He said that peace and stability are fundamental ingredients for any regional transformative agenda, noting that “without them, our aspirations and vision will be gravely compromised.”
“It is in this vein that we bemoan the impact of terrorist induced conflicts in some parts of our region.”
SADC has over the past three years deployed intervention forces in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where insurgents have caused havoc in mineral-rich parts of the two countries.
SADC executive secretary Elias Magosi announced during the Council of Ministers meeting that the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) completed its withdrawal from northern Mozambique in July after scoring some notable achievements against ISIS-linked insurgents.
“Together with the Government of Mozambique and other partners, the region has helped to create a secure environment, allowing the return of over 600, 000 of the 1.2 million internally displaced persons to their places of origin, thereby paving the way for sustainable development in the area,” Magosi said.
SAMIM was deployed in July 2021 and pulled out at the end of its three-year mandate to assist the Mozambican government against terrorists in Cabo Delgado province.
The regional body also deployed the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) in December 2023 to support the Kinshasa authorities to restore peace and security in the east of the country following an increase in conflicts and instability caused by the resurgence of armed groups.
Magosi said the mission is currently on the ground and urged SADC to “pay close attention to it, given the financial constraints to run such a massive operation to bring the security situation to normalcy, facilitate humanitarian efforts and save lives.”
“It is, however, pleasing to note that the UN Security Council has extended support to this mission, to ease the burden on the region.”
JN/APA