Africa-Press – Mozambique. The deployment of soldiers and equipment in Mozambique is a reality in the Southern African regional bloc’s commitment to peace in the east African country, with its emergency and humanitarian responses on the priority list.
The operationalisation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) humanitarian and emergency centre in Mozambique came under the spotlight when Japan’s representative to the regional bloc met with senior SADC officials.
Japanese ambassador to Botswana, Hoshiyama Takashi, also represents his country on regional issues. He met with SADC deputy executive secretary for regional integration Dr Thembinkosi Mhlongo earlier this month to discuss peace and stability in the region with a focus on the impact of disaster risk and the regional humanitarian situation.
Mozambique, Mhlongo told the Far Eastern diplomat, donated land and buildings in Nampula province’s Nacala for the SADC humanitarian and emergency centre (SHOC). While not operational yet, SHOC will co-ordinate regional humanitarian efforts on natural disasters, such as cyclones Idai, Kenneth and Eloise which caused wanton destruction in some SADC countries in 2019 and earlier this year.
Takashi told the meeting the new approach for peace and stability in Africa (NAPSA), adopted at the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) in Yokohama in 2019, will work with the African Union (AU) and regional economic communities such as SADC to support conflict prevention and mediation efforts as well as enabling environments for peace and stability.
