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Wednesday, January 20, 2021

South Africa expresses concern at SADC ‘inability’ to agree on support for Cabo Delgado in Mozambique

PRETORIA, South Africa

South Africa’s Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, on Wednesday expressed concern at the “inability” of southern African countries to find a joint solution to the armed violence in northern Mozambique.

"The situation in Mozambique and our inability as SADC [Southern African Development Community] to agree on the kind of joint support we can provide remains a very worrying puzzle for the South African government,” said Naledi Pandor.

She stressed that Pretoria “has made every possible effort with the Government of Mozambique to jointly outline a support agenda,” but so far it has not been possible to “realise exactly the nature of the support” that should be given to the Mozambican Government, “either through the Police, the intelligence services, or even through the Armed Forces.

The minister also explained that SADC will hold a special summit on “the incursions we have been following in that country and the various terrorist actions”, in Cabo Delgado province, where armed violence is causing a humanitarian crisis with around 2,000 deaths and 560,000 displaced people.

"We are very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Cabo Delgado, and we have received a request from the Red Cross in Mozambique to send emergency humanitarian aid, we are considering the scarce means at our disposal and I hope that through the African Renaissance Fund we will be able to provide some help,” she explained.

Naledi Pandor was speaking today at a videoconference hosted by British international policy institute Chatham House, based in London, on South Africa’s regional and global role.

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