Conflict In Mozambique Risks Affecting Zambia If Unchecked – HH

President Hakainde Hichilema has warned that the conflict in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado Province risks directly affecting Zambia if left unchecked.

Returning from a heads of state meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Malawi, HH praised the SADC troops deployed to Mozambique to help the government fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency. He also commended his fellow heads of state for acting quickly to combat terrorism in Cabo Delgado.

“We also applauded SADC for its unequivocal commitment to peace, stability and security in the region and for mobilising its own resources in combating terrorism in Cabo Delgado, which we acknowledge is unprecedent in Africa,” the president said yesterday.

On Wednesday, Southern African leaders agreed to extend their troop deployment in Mozambique to help tackle the insurgency which has claimed thousands of lives since it broke out in 2017. 

SADC troops were initially deployed for three months from mid-July but this was extended in October. Leaders have not specified how long this latest extension will last for.  

The summit was chaired by SADC Chair and Malawian President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and attended by delegations from the DRC, Mozambique and South Africa. Rwanda, which is not a member of SADC, has also agreed to send soldiers to Mozambique. 

Prior to SADC intervention, Mozambique’s military had been losing ground to the insurgents. Now a number of areas previously held by the militants have been cleared, including the town of Mocimboa da Praia, more than a year after the insurgents first seized it. Security forces also say they have destroyed a number of insurgent bases in the province.