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The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Extraordinary Heads of State and Government Summit kicks off today in Mt Hampden, Zimbabwe, with ten member states confirming their participation
The four-day event, hosted at the newly constructed Parliament building, aims to address pressing regional political and security issues, including the future of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC).
The summit, a follow-up to the 44th SADC Summit held at the same venue in August, has drawn ministers and senior officials from across the region. Delegates began arriving in Harare yesterday for registration, marking the beginning of a series of high-level deliberations.
This morning, the summit opened with a meeting of senior officials from the Ministerial Committee of the Organ, followed by discussions by the Ministerial Committee on the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation. Both sessions are chaired by Tanzania, reflecting the country’s leadership role in the Organ Troika.
Tomorrow, the Standing Committee of Senior Officials and the Finance Committee will convene under the chairmanship of Ambassador Albert Chimbindi, Permanent Secretary in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Zimbabwe will also preside over the SADC Council of Ministers meeting scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Tuesday will see senior officials of the Organ Troika meeting, followed by the Ministerial Committee of the Organ Troika, chaired by Tanzania.
On Wednesday morning, the SADC Organ Troika Summit will convene, leading to the Heads of State and Government Summit in the afternoon. A central agenda item is the SAMIDRC, whose mandate expires this December.
The mission was deployed to assist the DRC government in addressing the ongoing conflict in the eastern regions, particularly in North Kivu province, where violence has claimed over 1,000 lives and displaced more than six million people.
As Africa’s most severe displacement crisis, the situation in the DRC demands urgent attention. SADC leaders will assess SAMIDRC’s impact and deliberate on whether to extend or reconfigure its mandate to better support peace and stability efforts.
The summit will also review recent and upcoming elections within the region. Mozambique’s October 9 polls, which saw FRELIMO candidate Daniel Chapo secure the presidency, and Botswana’s October 30 elections, where the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) claimed power, will be key topics.
Furthermore, the Heads of State and Government will discuss preparations for Namibia’s elections scheduled for November 27. These discussions aim to promote electoral integrity and democratic stability in the region.
The summit underscores SADC’s commitment to collective security and political cooperation. With the participation of ten member states, it provides an opportunity for leaders to reinforce their shared vision of peace, stability, and sustainable development in Southern Africa.
The outcomes of this extraordinary meeting are expected to shape the region’s approach to its most pressing challenges and strengthen the framework for regional unity and progress.
