Mozambique: South African shadow defence minister calls for SADC mission to Cabo Delgado

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Mozambique: South African shadow defence minister calls for SADC mission to Cabo Delgado

8:51 CAT | 17 Aug 2020

The head of defence of the largest opposition party in South Africa on Friday argued that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should ensure stability in the region and have greater intervention in the face of the insurgency in Mozambique.

“If SADC takes the region and its role in the region seriously, it must absolutely decide what to do in Cabo Delgado,” MP Kobus Marais told Lusa.

According to the ‘shadow minister’ for the Defence of the Democratic Alliance (DA), a SADC summit is scheduled for Monday at which Mozambique will take over the chairmanship of the organisation, “and where it is hoped that the disaster in Cabo Delgado and the insurgent threats will be discussed and an appropriate resolution passed.

In this regard, the South African politician told Lusa that a special “multi-party” SADC mission should travel to Cabo Delgado, pointing out that Pretoria’s greatest need at the moment “is credible and reliable information”.

” We hope that a special fact-finding envoy will be sent to Cabo Delgado, and that we will be part of the multi-party special envoy,” he said.

For Kobus Marais, who has been urging the Minister of Defence in parliament to comment on the regional risks of armed conflict in Cabo Delgado and the presence of ISIS (Islamic State) “cells” in South Africa, “any [South African military] intervention should involve, and preferably be, a SADC initiative that should consider the security and stability of the region and the countries of the region”.

“There is a SADC intervention force that is operational in the east of the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] as part of the Monusco Force Intervention Brigade,” he said.

“If and when South African armed forces are deployed, it should be firstly to protect our own interests of economic and political stability, secondly to provide humanitarian aid, and thirdly to assist Mozambique based on its requests to us for aid and assistance,” Kobus Marais said.

According to him, “interventions should be sanctioned by SADC, the African Union and the United Nations”.

“South Africa and our relevant ministries should seriously consider increasing security measures on our borders with Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Swaziland to prevent any unwanted and illegal cross-border movement of people and goods,” he said.

Kobus Marais stressed that Pretoria “must be very aware of the possible damage and risks that the undesirable ISIS-related cells in RSA may have” for South Africans, as well as “for the political and economic future” of South Africa.

“This should include cyber and satellite technology with 24/7 surveillance and reconnaissance capability,” he told Lusa.

SADC heads of state and government meet for their 40th annual summit on Monday, when Tanzania will hand over the organisation’s rotating presidency to Mozambique.

The South African Institute for Security Studies (ISS) on Thursday called for “urgent” intervention by SADC and the African Union, chaired by South Africa, to stop the armed conflict in the province of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique.

Source: Lusa