Moza exposed toothless Sadc

PARTS of Mozambique’s northern province have been burning for sometime. Sadc’s response has been a series of meetings and deliberations with little action as the Islamic insurgency wiped out communities, maimed and displaced thousands.

Sadc let down the region by failing to take action on time. A multi-billion-dollar gas and petroleum project has reportedly shut down due to the violence.

Now Rwanda has taken decisive action by deploying a thousand-strong armed force to stop the militants.

This is proving to all that Sadc is toothless. That is why we are having problems time and again in the region.

The action which Rwanda took could have been easily taken by any regional country.

Sadc as the regional body responsible for defence and development of our region, should have deployed a standby force at the genesis of the dissident activity.

Sadc must wake up and not wait until instability reaches catastrophic levels in order to act.

Right now, there are problems in Eswatini and we have heard nothing from Sadc.

South Africa is burning, but there is deafening silence from Sadc.

Do we need Rwanda to intervene in all Sadc issues?

We are tired of our leaders’ quiet diplomacy.

A robust Sadc, which nips problems in the bud, is what is needed now. A Sadc which calls a spade a spade.

No matter what critics think and say, Rwanda’s military and police deployment is a positive move meant to save lives and property.

Sadc must up its game. We cannot always rely on outsiders to bring peace and development in our region.

If need be, Sadc must reform and restructure so that it can effectively and efficiently discharge its duties.

The primary role of every regional body is to maintain the sovereignty of its member States.

That is why Ecowas does not waste time when it comes to dealing with rebellions and militias in that part of Africa.

There was no reason for Sadc countries to allow the militia to cause so much anarchy and instability in Mozambique without military intervention.

The good news is that Sadc forces will be in Cabo Delgado province, although it is a bit late now.

Pardon Maguta