SADC executive secretary Elias Magosi (left) President Emmerson Mnangagwa as State House in Harare today. Photo: Presidential Communications.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) extraordinary heads of state and government summit, whose proceedings began yesterday in Harare, will tomorrow convene a meeting of the Sadc troika of the organ on politics, defence and security cooperation to deal with the critical political and security situation in Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, and Namibia.
Mauritius could also feature as it held elections recently like Mozambique and Botswana.
The Botswana elections won by President Duma Boko and the Umbrella for Democratic Change by a landslide against Mnangagwa’s regional political ally former president Mokgweetsi Masisi and his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), in power for 58 years, sent shock waves across the region.
Namibia goes to elections on 27 November amid fears the ruling Swapo could suffer the same fate as BDP.
Former liberation movements, of which Zanu PF is one of them, are under threat across the region.
The ANC lost its absolute majority in South Africa in May, while the opposition has won in Seychelles, Lesotho, Zambia and Malawi, and now Botswana.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the SADC chairperson, assisted by incoming chair President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina and Angolan President João Lourenço, former chair, is presiding over the summit.
The troika of the organ on politics, defence and security is chaired by Tanzania and includes Malawi and Zambia.
The real big issues of the extraordinary summit are Mozambique and DRC.
Mozambique – which is on a knife edge – has descended into post-election political violence and chaos after incoming President Daniel Chapo’s election by a huge margin sparked conflict amid complaints of electoral manipulation and rigging by the opposition.
Chapo, who is supported by Mnangagwa and Zanu PF, a Frelimo ally, won 71% of the vote with main Podemos opposition leader Valencio Mondlane getting 20%.
The ruling Frelimo also increased its absolute majority in parliament to 195 of 250 seats and retained all 11 provincial governor positions.
The opposition rejected the results and called for protests.
While Mondlane first called for street protests to repudiate electoral fraud, demonstrations quickly degenerated into a broader show of dissatisfaction with Frelimo’s rule.
The main sources of public discontent, which had featured heavily in Mondlane’s campaign, range from anger over the lack of democratic space to frustration with police brutality, economic failure, corruption and poverty.
The situation fast deteriorated after the murder of Mondlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias, who was preparing a legal challenge to the election results, and Paulo Guambe, a Podemos parliamentary candidate, as the two travelled together in a car in Maputo.
The brazen attack sent shock waves through Mozambique and drew worldwide condemnation, including from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, United States and European Union.
The brazen assassinations of Dias and Guambe, the latest in a long list of killings of high-profile figures in Mozambique, also stoked popular ire.
Mondlane says he has now escaped an assassination attempt into neighbouring South Africa.
Overall, civil society say about 50 people have been killed in clashes with police, while lawyers say they have helped secure the release over 2 700 protesters from unlawful detention.
Several organisations have pointed to the harmful impact of the unrest on the economy, with most workers staying at home on protest days, either because they are answering Mondlane’s call to strike or for fear of the violence they may encounter on their way to work.
Mondlane has called for more protests until 15 November, after which he says there should be a “pause” which coincides with the Sadc extraordinary summit in Harare.
The Mozambican conflict, against a backdrop of an Islamic insurgency in Cabo Delgado region, is now affecting neighbouring countries, especially South Africa and Zimbabwe, as it is disrupting trade and economic activities, hence concerns across the region.
Zimbabwe, a landlocked country, is particularly affected as it relies for its imports and exports on the Beira Corridor in Zimbabwe.
Several countries in the region also use the Beira Corridor.
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF government are keen to help to rescue Chapo and Frelimo.
The Sadc summit proceedings began yesterday, with 10 member states having confirmed their participation.
Apart from Mozambique, the meetings will focus on the region’s political and security challenges, particularly the Sadc Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo whose mandate expires this year.
The security situation in North Kivu and Ituri provinces has dramatically deteriorated, with fighting between the army and armed groups forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.
Additional pockets of insecurity have emerged across the country, primarily due to intercommunal conflicts.
A long history of conflict, political upheaval and instability, and corrupt dictatorial rule have led to a grave, ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Since 1996, conflict in eastern DRC has led to approximately six million deaths.
The four-day special summit will take place at the new Parliament building in Mt Hampden, the same venue for the 44th Sadc summit that was held in August.
Ministers and senior officials from member states began arriving in Harare on Thursday for registration of delegates.
The Sadc secretariat arrived on Friday.
Sadc executive secretary Elias Magosi met with Mnangagwa at State House in Harare today.
The summit opened with a meeting of senior officials of the ministerial committee of the organ yesterday.
A meeting of the ministerial committee on the Sadc organ on politics, defence and security took place soon after.
Tanzania chaired.
Today, the standing committee of senior officials and finance committee convened under the chair of Zimbabwe’s permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ambassador Albert Chimbindi.
Zimbabwe also chaired the Sadc Council of Ministers this afternoon led by Foreign Affairs minister Amon Murwira.
Tomorrow senior officials of the organ meet, while the ministerial committee of the organ will convene later, with Tanzania chairing both meetings.
The Sadc organ troika summit meets on Wednesday morning before the heads of state and government summit.
In a statement, Sadc said: “The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will convene an Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government on 20th November 2024, in Harare, Republic of Zimbabwe, to review security situation in the region, with focus on the situation in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The Summit will be chaired by His Excellency Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and Chairperson of SADC.
” The Summit will receive an update on the progress of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC).
” The SADC region deployed the SAMIDRC on 15th December 2023 on a one-year mandate as a regional response to address the security situation in the DRC and restore peace, security, and stability to pave the way for sustainable development.”
The Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government will be preceded by the Extraordinary SADC Organ Troika Summit, which will be Chaired by H.E Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council representing Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics Defence and Security Cooperation.
The Summit will be preceded by the meetings of SADC Senior Officials, the Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics Defence and Security Cooperation and the SADC Council and Council of Ministers.”
Newshawks
