The Sunday Mail
Lincoln Towindo in Gaborone, Botswana
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa arrived here this morning to attend an extraordinary SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation Heads of State Summit to discuss emerging peace and security threats in the region.
The President will join his counterparts – presidents Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique – during the meeting that will deliberate on the threat of Islamic insurgency in northern Mozambique.
Over 2 000 people have been killed while around 430 000 have been left homeless in the simmering insurgency affecting the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique since 2017.
The indaba will also address the reorganisation of the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in the DRC.
FIB is a multilateral military formation under the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (known as MONUSCO) authorised by the UN Security Council in 2003.
It is the first UN peace-keeping operation specifically tasked to carry out targeted offensive operations to “neutralise and disarm” groups considered a threat to state authority and civilian security.
President Mnangagwa touched down at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, where he was welcomed by the Botswana Defence Minister Patrick Mmusi.
