Southern African Development Community

Feb

2024

South Africa to deploy 2,900 troops to fight armed groups in eastern Congo

SOUTH Africa will send 2,900 troops as part of its contribution to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) force deployed to tackle armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the president's office said in a statement on Monday. The one-year deployment will cover the period between December 15. 2023 and December 15, 2024, and will cost around 2 billion rand ($105.75 million), the statement said. The 16-member state SADC approved the eastern Congo mission in May last year to help Congo, the world's top supplier of cobalt and Africa's top copper producer, address instability and deteriorating security in its restive eastern…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

South Africa to lead new military force in the DRC: an expert on what it’s up against

NEWS

THE United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Monusco, is ending after 20 years. It will be replaced by troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), led by the South African military. Thomas Mandrup, an expert in African security governance and South African military and foreign policy, recently wrote a paper on the subject. We asked him about the new mission and what awaits it. THOMAS MANDRUP, Associate Professor, Security Institute for Governance and Leadership In Africa (SIGLA), Stellenbosch University What prompted the deployment? The security situation in the eastern DRC has deteriorated in recent…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Southern African troops versus M23 rebels in the DRC: 4 risks this poses

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS, EDITORS CHOICE

The security situation in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to deteriorate. The region comprises North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. It’s about seven times the size of neighbouring Rwanda. DELPHIN R. NTANYOMA, Visiting Researcher, University of Leeds The violence in North Kivu has drawn most of the attention of the DRC’s neighbours and the international community. This close attention is aimed at preventing possible confrontation between Rwanda and the DRC. Since late 2021, North Kivu has been confronted by M23 rebels who have executed people and forcibly displaced thousands within the province and…

Jun

2023

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Trans-frontier conservation continues to grow in Southern Africa

ENVIRONMENT

ZAMBIA and Zimbabwe recently signed a memorandum of understanding to create a trans-frontier conservation area to utilise their shared natural resources. The agreement focuses on the lower Zambezi and Mana Pools National Park areas. The two nations, who jointly share a vast area of more than 18,000 km2, pledged to improve ecological conservation in the area. Governments, local communities, and stakeholders from the two countries will all have a chance to implement sustainable development programs thanks to the collaborative approach. Trans-frontier conservation areas (TFCA) are ecologically-rich regions that border multiple countries and host diverse plant and animal species. The conservation…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Rwanda deploys troops to Mozambique

NEWS

RWANDA has started deploying a 1 000-strong force to Mozambique to help the country combat an escalating Islamic State-linked insurgency that threatens its stability. Last month, the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) approved the deployment of a joint force to help Mozambique respond to the conflict that is concentrated in the northern Cabo Delgado province. Soldiers from Rwanda, which is not a member of SADC, would fight alongside Mozambique's forces and SADC troops, the Rwandan government said. Fighting erupted in October 2017 and thousands of civilians, soldiers and insurgents have been killed in the violence. "The Rwandan contingent will…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

’Mozambique military deployment must include plan to protect human rights abuses’

NEWS

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) must ensure that the military deployment to the troubled region in Mozambique is accompanied by a transparent and comprehensive plan to prevent human rights abuses. The call has been made by the In Transformation Initiative (ITI), which is led by Mathews Phosa and Roelf Meyer, the two former politicians who were involved in the negotiations for the new South African dispensation and have been involved in peace settlements in Ireland, Myanmar and other countries. In a statement, the ITI said: “We welcome the decision of the SADC Double Troika to take decisive steps to…