SADC says military mission in Cabo Delgado begins next Thursday

MAPUTO, South Africa 

Southern African Development Community (SADC) has announced a mission under “Scenario 6”, characterised by the deployment of military troops “from 15 July”. The CDD complains of a lack of public clarification from the Mozambican government on “military intervention”.

The deadline for military intervention by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Cabo Delgado falls next week, the SADC Secretariat observes in a statement addressed to the UN secretary general, António Guterres.

The southern African bloc of countries asked Guterres to share information about the July 15th deadline with the United Nations Security Council. The SADC military intervention in Cabo Delgado is expected to last for three months, with the possibility of an extension.

According to the statement released by SADC this Thursday (8 July), the mission has as its objective, to “support the Republic of Mozambique in the fight against acts of terrorism and extremist violence, in addition to supporting the country in restoring the rule of law in the affected areas of Cabo Delgado province.

The SADC communiqué refers to a mission under “Scenario 6”, characterised by the employment of military troops, but Mozambique’s Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has criticised the domestic absence of publicity for the SADC initiative.

The governance NGO regrets that information about the “imminent military intervention continues to reach Mozambicans through external sources”.

A statement on the CDD’s Twitter account remarks that the population of Cabo Delgado will “once again [be] surprised by the appearance of foreign military personnel from various countries in the region” as occurred “when the Government opted for hiring mercenaries”