President wants SADC as ‘active and main partner’ in fight against terrorism

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AfricaPress-mozambique: Mozambique’s president said on Wednesday that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should be Mozambique’s main partner in the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, reiterating that the armed insurgency is a regional threat.

“We are certain that we will have SADC as an active and main player in this fight,” Filipe Nyusi said, speaking during the opening of the extraordinary summit of the organisation, which is being held in Maputo.

Nyusi, who is also the current president of SADC, said the organisation’s member countries have a responsibility to defend their sovereignty, ensuring conditions for a common development project.

“We will not rest until we find the final victory: which is peace and progress in every corner of our region.”

Nyusi stressed that terrorism is a global threat, a problem that requires joint intervention and based on other experiences.

“Our analysis must take into account some terrorist cells scattered in the region, aware that ensuring success in this fight against this scourge is to safeguard our cultural and socio-economic values,” he said.

Armed groups have terrorised the province of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, since 2017, with some attacks claimed by the ‘jihadist’ group Islamic State, in a wave of violence that has led to over 2,800 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and 732,000 displaced people, according to the UN.

Also, according to the UN, more than 900,000 people are under severe food insecurity in Cabo Delgado, and host communities are in urgent need of shelter, protection and other services.

The SADC comprises 16 states: Mozambique, Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Comoros.

The central theme of the summit is the regional response and support in combating “terrorism”. However, it is also planned to assess the results achieved in pursuit of the motto “SADC: 40 Years of Building Peace and Security and Promoting Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges”.

In addition to heads of state and government officials from the region, the event is expected to be attended by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, who is also the current president of the African Union.

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