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Southern Africa shows signs of stability - Minister of Foreign Affairs

Luanda, ANGOLA, April 24 - Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto said Monday, in Luanda, that there are encouraging signs that the framework of peace and security in the southern African region could evolve favorably.,

The official believes that it is time for the continent's southern region to focus exclusively on development issues and regional economic integration, noting that such a goal will not be possible as long as challenges of peace, security and stability prevail.

Manuel Augusto was speaking at the opening ceremony of the meeting of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which is preparing the Extraordinary Summit of the Regional Organization's Double Troika, to be held on Tuesday in the Angolan capital.

He noted that since the last meeting of the Troika in August 2017 in South Africa, progress has been made on the peace and security framework in southern Africa. "It is our obligation and duty to give our best so that durable solutions can be found and that its implementation can engage us all," the minister said.

The political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Lesotho is the main item on the agenda of the Double Troika Summit, which will also discuss the consolidation of democracy in the Southern region of the continent.

Angola currently chairs the SADC Political Cooperation, Defense and Security body.  

The political and military situation in Lesotho was aggravated on 5 October last year when the army chief of staff, General Khoantle Motso-Motso, was killed during a shoot-out which also killed General Bulane and Colonel Tefo Hahatsi.

As a result, on 2 December, SADC deployed a military contingent under its Contingency Mission to Lesotho at the request of the authorities of that country.

 The SAPMIL force consists of 217 military personnel 162 of which from Angola.

The latest developments in Lesotho were analyzed last March in Luanda during a hearing in which the Angolan Head of State, under the chairmanship of the SADC Cooperation, Defense and Security body, granted the prime minister of that country, Thomas Thabane.

President João Lourenço also participated in a tripartite summit between Angola, Congo and DRC in February in Kinshasa, which evaluated the preparations for the DRC elections, postponed from December 31 last year to December 23 of this year.

The postponement of the election process led the opposition to demand President Joseph Kabila to step down.

In the light of the Constitution, Kabila is prevented from running for a new term.

The SADC Double Troika should also discuss the political situation in Madagascar, which is expected to hold general elections later this year. The political situation in Madagascar inspires care.

The Double Troika is made up of the Troika countries of the Defense and Security and SADC Troika.

The body of Defense and Security is composed of Angola (President), Zambia and Tanzania.

The SADC Troika integrates South Africa, the current president,  eSwatini Kingdom (former Swaziland) and Namibia.

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