'Real' Reason Why Mozambique Crisis Meeting Was Postponed Revealed
A Southern African Development Community (SADC) extraordinary troika meeting on Mozambique’s deteriorating security situation which was scheduled for Thursday 29th April 2021 was postponed indefinitely due to the complex geopolitical nature of the conflict, it has emerged.
SADC claimed the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Troika Summit meant to finalise military deployments to tackle insurgents was called off this week due to pressing commitments on two regional leaders.
Botswana President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi is said to be quarantining while South African President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa is appearing at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry on State Capture.
A security source who spoke to The NewsHawks said the real reason is Maputo’s strong reluctance towards a multilateral approach on the conflict-stricken northern parts of that country owing to complexities around the strife.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi is reportedly not keen on a SADC military intervention due to questions of sovereignty, nature of the conflict, external influence and the financing of the operation. The source is quoted as saying:
President Nyusi prefers bilateral support instead of a multilateral approach due to complexities around the geopolitics of this conflict.
While SADC wants to stamp its authority and show that it has teeth to bite, consensus remains a stumbling block.
Some member states are concerned that once they take a multilateral approach, any future insurgency may be on their doorstep. That is a price many are not willing to pay.
Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, Nyusi reportedly told a virtual forum of the Portuguese Speaking African Countries (PALOPs) that despite the violent extremism in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique enjoys political stability and its institutions are functioning normally.
This meeting was attended by leaders from former Portuguese colonies such as Angola, Cape Verde and Equatorial Guinea.
Nyusi’s utterances have been interpreted as signalling Maputo’s willingness to treat the conflict as an internal matter with limited support from the region and other bilateral partners.
