THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) has called for humanitarian support for Mozambicans who have been devastated by the terrorist attacks in the country’s Cabo Delgado province.
The extraordinary summit of the Southern African Development Community, which met on Wednesday, also approved sending a SADC standby force to Mozambique to counter terrorism and extremism.
“Summit urged member states, in collaboration with humanitarian agencies, to continue providing humanitarian support to the population affected by the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado including the internally displaced people,” the SADC said.
Islamic State-backed terrorists launched an attack on the town of Palma in the northern province of Cabo Delgado on March 24, killing at least 12 people, including a South African and a Zimbabwean. More than 100 000 people fled the area for safety.
On April 9, SADC troika summit of the heads of state and the government resolved to deploy a technical team to Mozambique, to assess the threat that islamist militants pose to Mozambique, and determine how to respond to the insurgency.
Earlier this month, the UN refugee agency, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), reported that about 70 000 people had fled Palma since March 24, bringing overall displacement to nearly 800 000.
UNHCR said that in the wake of the attack in Palma, some 2 000 children have no idea of the whereabouts of their parents, or even if they were alive.
Last week, the SADC resolved to deploy a standby force mission to support Mozambique to combat terrorism in the north of the country.
The force would be deployed under the SADC Standby Force to assist Mozambique to repel terrorism and acts of violent extremist in Cabo Delgado.
It was unclear when the force would be deployed or the number of troops involved.
In April, Botswana President and and the chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, said insurgency in Mozambique could lead to a spillover and ultimately instability in southern Africa if left unattended.
He said it was important for the SADC to intervene to prevent the three-year-old insurgency in northern Mozambique from spilling over the country’s borders.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, for the summit. Ramaphosa was accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor and Minister of State Security Ayanda Dlodlo.
Earlier this year, South Africa deployed soldiers to Mozambique on a mission to rescue its nationals after attacks by Islamic State-linked insurgents in the Cabo Delgado coastal town of Palma.
Ramaphosa said at the time the SANDF and other stakeholders were attending to the crisis.
South African national Adrian Nel was killed in the unrest in Palma in March. His body was repatriated at the same time as his father, brother and other South Africans were airlifted back home.
COVID-19 RESPONSE
In separate discussions, the summit also discussed the devastating impact Covid-19 was having on the region and noted the presence of new variants of the virus, urging member states to step up genomic surveillance.
“The summit committed to enhance SADC regional capacities in research and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and other essential drugs and medicines including traditional and alternative medicines, the development of vaccines and the development of a regional framework on traditional and local indigenous medicines,” a SADC communiqué stated.
They also called on regional member states to support the proposal for a temporary waiver of certain provisions of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (Trips) to allow for a more efficient response to the Covid-19, praising Ramaphosa’s efforts on the matter.
“Summit commended HE President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, for championing the proposal to waive certain provisions of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), so as to enable more countries to produce Covid-19 vaccine and facilitate access to all,” they said.
FOOD SECURITY & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
The SADC also called on governments in the region to strengthen and expand coverage of social protection and safety net programmes to cater for increasing numbers of food-insecure populations across the region.
“Summit urged member states to domesticate the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Strategy into National Food and Nutrition Security Strategies to address the growing rates of malnutrition; and to strengthen and expand coverage of social protection and safety nets programmes,” they resolved.
The Summit of heads of state and government is the supreme policy-making institution of the SADC with the responsibility for the overall policy direction and control of functions of the region.
| African News Agency (ANA)