Boko to Attend SADC Summit

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Boko to Attend SADC Summit
Boko to Attend SADC Summit

Africa-Press – Botswana. President Advocate Duma Boko is expected to attend his maiden SADC meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The SADC Heads of State and Government Extraordinary Summit will review security situation in the region, with focus on the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Zimbabwe president and current SADC chairperson, Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa will chair the summit which is expected to receive an update on the progress of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC).

On December 15, 2023, the SADC established the SAMIDRC which was given a one-year mandate as a regional response, to address the security situation in the DRC and restore peace, security and stability.

In an interview, Minister of International Relations, Dr Phenyo Butale said the gathering would follow the ministerial meeting which paved way for the summit.

The summit is convened to deal with the peace keeping mission in DRC, Dr Butale said and added, “Botswana is equally concerned by the atrocity, the fighting in Eastern DRC where thousands of people have been displaced, women and children have been displaced. As SADC we believe that instability in DRC negatively affects the region.”

Dr Butale said the council of ministers met to consider the recommendations from senior governments officials, one of which was the proposal to extend the SAMIDRC mission, which was coming to an end in December.

“We have met and we have made our recommendations and the heads of state and government are going to meet, to consider this recommendation as to whether the mission should be extended by another year or not,” said Dr Butale.

Another issue, he said, was that the region also had to contend with issues of resourcing the mission.

“You will understand that when we have a mission, countries have to contribute financially and also with troops. Botswana is not a troop contributing country in the SAMIDRC but I am glad to say that we have fully paid in terms of contributions,” said Dr Butale.

He said what was now faced by the country was dealing with the additional costs that would come with the possible extension of the SAMIDRC mission and ensure that it was fully resourced, should heads of state and government accede to the recommendation by the ministers.

He said the Extraordinary SADC Summit would also look into the situation in Mozambique as the peacekeeping mission in that country was also coming to an end.

Dr Butale said the Summit would equally look at how SADC members states were contributing to such peace keeping missions.

He noted that Botswana was fully compliant and had fully paid up its contribution to the SAMIM.

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