Conflict & Resilience Monitor – 29 August 2024

On 17 August 2024, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held their 44th Ordinary Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe. The Summit was attended by all the heads of state and government of the member states, with the exceptions of Mauritius, Seychelles and Zambia. As was expected the Summit elected President Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe as the next chairperson of SADC and President Rajoeline of Madagascar as the incoming president, while the president of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan was elected the chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, with the president of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera the incoming chairperson.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) was predictably on the agenda of the recent SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government convened in Zimbabwe. The Mission was established on 8 May 2023 according to the SADC Mutual Defence Pact. It was officially deployed on 15 December 2023 to help the Congolese government restore peace in eastern DRC. SAMIDRC’s mandated priority tasks are to support the Congolese army in neutralising armed groups, such as the March 23 Movement (M23) and the protection of civilians (POC). On 4 March 2024, the Mission’s mandate was endorsed by the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). Since its deployment, several SAMIDRC soldiers have been killed or maimed, which raised concerns about the Mission’s operational and logistical capabilities. The communiqué issued by the recent SADC Summit highlighted several important issues, including the need for diplomatic solutions to the conflicts in eastern DRC and financial and logistical support for SAMIDRC.

Sierra Leone’s ascent to the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (‘the Council’) for the month of August coincides with a potentially epoch-making moment in United Nations (UN) history – a time at which the world’s foremost diplomatic and international relations organisation, tasked with the unenviable task of maintaining international peace and security, seeks to forge its future path, nearly 80 years after its judicious creation.

In the hands of disgruntled youth across Africa, the smartphone is a powerful weapon. In the recent past, youth in several African countries have used social media to hold their governments accountable, raise awareness about injustice and corruption, satirized the political elite, and resisted authoritarianism. Kenya recently witnessed unprecedented nationwide protests in defiance of government proposed tax increases and also elicited police brutality. These protests were led by “Generation Z” popularly referred to as “Gen Z”, who used social media to mobilise against the Kenya Finance Bill 2024 and other excesses under the hashtag #EndFinanceBill. Gen Z has since metamorphosed into Gen Zote (All Generations).

In the last decade, the African Union (AU) and the United Nationals (UN) have increasingly recognised the role and momentum of youth in peace and security, acknowledging the contributions of young people in Africa to conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and sustainable development. Despite these milestones, however, the involvement of young people in conflict-affected areas, particularly where Peace Operations are deployed, remains limited.