This month’s issue of the Monitor begins with a piece by Katharine Bebington highlighting some key outcomes from the recently concluded 44th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and
Evaluating progress with the SADC Missions and elections in the region.
We start this month’s Monitor with a feature article by Kapinga Yvette Ngandu, the ECCAS Commissioner for Gender, Human and Social Development, on the establishment of the ECCAS Humanitarian Action
The host country’s role in protecting civilians and restoring safety and security in the Cabo Delgado post-withdrawal.
Assessing current security levels and migration movements in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique
On 17 August 2022 SADC held its 42nd Ordinary Summit under the theme “Promoting industrialisation through agro-processing, mineral beneficiation and regional value chains for inclusive and resilient economic growth.”
Any long-term solution for the conflict in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique must address the significant problem of limited statehood and good governance.
Since October 2017, an insurgency emerged in Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, resulting in numerous terrorist attacks, claiming nearly 3,000 lives, and displacing some 800,000 people since 2020. In addition to the current military reprisals, a more comprehensive approach should recognise both the fact that the insurgents are the “sons of Mocímboa da Praia” and that at a certain point in time, they became radicalised and turned towards violent extremism.
At present, SAMIM is operating in Cabo Delgado with the full consent of the Mozambican government. Despite initial resistance to SADC involvement, Mozambique has consented to the SADC deployment.
The uprising in Cabo Delgado has roots in both a rising Islamist presence in the region, and predictable grievances about economic marginalisation, a National Plan of Action for Preventing Violent Extremism is a paramount priority.