Africa-Press – Malawi. President Peter Mutharika has sounded a strong warning to Southern African leaders, stressing that peace and stability are not optional—but essential—if the region is to unlock meaningful development.
Speaking at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Saturday, Mutharika, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, said instability in any one member state poses a direct threat to the entire region’s progress.
“The SADC region is one,” he emphasized, underscoring that conflict in a single country has ripple effects across borders, derailing collective economic and social development efforts.
Mutharika made the remarks after high-level consultations with former Malawian President Joyce Banda and former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, held as part of ongoing regional peace-building engagements.
The two former leaders are key figures in the SADC Panel of Elders, with Kikwete serving as Chairperson and Banda as Vice Chairperson—an influential mediation body tasked with defusing tensions and fostering dialogue across the region.
During the meeting, Kikwete provided a detailed briefing on mediation efforts in several hotspot countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar and Mozambique.
The engagement highlights growing urgency within SADC to contain conflicts and reinforce unity, as leaders push to safeguard regional stability—the backbone of sustainable development.
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