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Malawi to host extra- ordinary Sadc summit

Malawi will this Friday host a virtual Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Extraordinary Summit on Mozambique to be chaired by President Lazarus Chakwera in his capacity as Sadc chairperson.

A statement from the Sadc Secretariat in Botswana signed by head of communication and public relations Barbara Lopi said the virtual Sadc Heads of State and Government meeting will review progress and the mandate of the Sadc Mission in Mozambique (Samim).

Will chair the virtual meeting on Friday: Chakwera

Reads the statement in part: “Samim was deployed in July 2021 following approval by the extraordinary Sadc Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Maputo, Republic of Mozambique on 23 June 2021, as a Sadc regional response to support Mozambique to combat terrorism and acts of violent extremism in some districts of Cabo Delgado Province.”

The statement said prior to the extraordinary summit, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is chairperson of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, will today convene an extraordinary Sadc Organ Troika Summit.

The Troika comprises leaders of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Mozambique will also attend.

“The summit will, among the key issues, discuss the support for effective operation of Samim objectives to bring peace and stability in Cabo Delgado in Mozambique,” reads the statement.

The Sadc Summit is responsible for the overall policy direction and control of functions of the community.

In June last year, Sadc leaders agreed to deploy forces to Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado Province to support the country’s military in its fight against an Islamist insurgency.

The resolution was a continuation of the bloc’s efforts to address the terrorism in Cabo Delgado that has killed hundreds of people and displaced hundreds of thousands others since 2017.

Chakwera, who took over the Sadc chairmanship last August from Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi, committed to ensuring peace in the region.

Sadc is an inter-governmental organisation headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 16 countries in southern Africa.

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