The Pan Afrikanist Watchman
Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana will be conspicuously absent Thursday during a crucial Summit of the Organ in Maputo, Mozambique.
SADC is convening the Extraordinary Troika Summit of the Organ on 29th April, 2021 to receive a report of the Technical Assessment Team that was deployed following the decisions of the SADC Extraordinary Double Troika Summit held on 8th April 2021.
The Summit is expected to decide on troop deployment to Cabo Delgado, the northern part of Mozambique currently under the grip of terrorist attacks, which have led to mass killings and displacement of thousands of citizens and generally degenerated into a humanitarian crisis.
During its meeting of 8th April 2021 the SADC Double Troika Summit of Heads of State and Government noted with concern, the acts of terrorism perpetrated against innocent civilians, women and children in some districts of Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique and reaffirmed SADC’s continued commitment to contribute towards bringing lasting peace and security.
The Summit also condemned the terrorist attacks in strongest terms; and affirmed that such heinous attacks cannot be allowed to continue without a “proportionate regional response”.
It is this “proportionate regional response” that Thursday’s Extraordinary Troika Summit of the Organ will decide on, even though media reports have already indicated that the Organ will dispatch a 3000-man strong army to face the terrorists who not only kill innocent citizens, but also behead them.
A media statement from the Botswana Office of the President said Monday that President Masisi has gone on self quarantine following the detection of a Covid 19 case among some of his staff members.
Consequently, this means that Masisi, who is also Chairperson of the Organ, will not be joining other SADC leaders for the Extraordinary Summit of the Organ.
Instead his Vice, Slumber Tsogwane will lead Botswana’s delegation to the Summit, which will be preceded by the Extraordinary Meeting of the Organ Troika Ministerial Committee of the Organ, which os chaired by Botswana’s foreign minister Dr Lemogang Kwape, on 28th April 2021.
However, other leaders, particularly Mozambique’s President also Chairperson of SADC, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi: Malawi’s President who is also In-coming Chairperson of SADC, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera; South Africa’s President and In-coming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa; Zimbabwe’s President and Outgoing Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, as well as President of the United Republic of Tanzania and also Outgoing Chairperson of SADC, Samia Suluhu Hassan – are expected to attend the Summit.
Outgoing SADC Executive Secretary, Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax is also expected to grace the Summit, as is Botswana’s candidate for the position, Permanent Secretary to the President and Ambassador at Large, Elias Magosi.
According to a spokesperson of the SADC Secretariat, Innocent Mbvundula, the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, is a SADC institution with the overall objective to promote peace and security in the region in line with Article 2 of the SADC Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
