Southern African countries conclude summit in Malawi

By Moses Michael-Phiri

LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) - The leaders of 16 nations in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) concluded a summit on Wednesday, agreeing to tackle instability and insecurity in the region.

During the talks in Malawi's capital Lilongwe, the bloc decided to establish a regional counter-terrorism center, newly-elected SADC chairperson Lazarus Chakwera said in his closing remarks.

"Instability and insecurity are not only rare here, but are dealt with decisively through the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation ," said Chakwera.

Praising the SADC, he underlined that the Southern African region "is peaceful, secure, and stable, thanks to our solidarity and vigilance."

The leaders in the summit made the decision for Tanzania to host the counter terrorism center as part of the SADC Regional Counter Terrorism Strategy.

"That center will be yet another demonstration of our resolve to give no room to terrorism and radicalism and to keep our community peaceful," Chakwera said.

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the current chairman of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation, will lead the process of establishing the center.

- Peace and security

Peace and security are two of the mainstays of regional integration that helps promote cooperation and social and economic development, according to the summit's agenda statement.

"It is in that regard that the SADC had defined the eradication of terrorism and violent extremism in the region as a strategic priority," Mozambique's President Felipe Nyusi said at the summit.

On June 23, 2021, the SADC authorized the deployment of a standby brigade to Mozambique to help fight against terrorism in the northeastern Pemba area of its province of Cabo Delgado.

Since October 2017, a local group known as al-Shabaab loosely affiliated with the Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization has been staging attacks in the province. The group has no link to a Somalian group of the same name.

- Israel observer status

At the end of the summit, the SADC leaders released a communique that objected to the unilateral decision by the African Union Commission to grant the State of Israel observer status in the continentwide bloc.

The SADC has joined Namibia and South Africa in their separate rejections of the decision.

Held with focus on bolstering productive capacities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic for "inclusive, sustainable, economic and industrial transformation," the summit took stock of progress in promoting and deepening regional integration in line with the SADC's 2050 goals.

These goals aim to promote peaceful, inclusive, competitive, middle to high-income industrialized regions.

SADC was formed in 1980 to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth as the Southern African Development Coordinating Conference (SADCC). It adopted its current name in August 1992.

Its members include Angola, Botswana, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.