SADC SUMMIT 2019: Security remains key Sadc pillar

Arusha. Although the guns are finally silent in much of the sub-continent, security remains one of the key pillars of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).

The 16 nation bloc, now focused on economic integration, has not played down what united them during the era of the liberation struggle; guaranteed security of nations and people.

Colonel Wilbert Ibuge of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) insists that there was no way the region would deviate from the ideals of peace and stability.

“Unlike in other blocs, there is mutual trust among the member states of Sadc and this is built on the ideals of security, peace and stability,” he said recently.

In fact, one of the organs among a host of others of the Gaberone-based organisation is the Inter-State Defence and Security Committee.

“Sadc is largely here to spearhead economic integration but matters pertaining to peace, security and stability remain solid in our agenda,” he pointed out.

The Sadc Treaty stresses a shared future in an environment of peace, security and stability, regional cooperation and integration based equity, mutual benefit and solidarity.

The vision is akin to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the protocol relating to the envisaged Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU).

The latter includes the Continental Early Warning System where Sadc has put in place schemes and networks of early warning in the region.

To ensure its commitments are respected, Sadc Heads of State and Government established the bloc’s Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in 1996.

The protocol was signed in 2001. Its implementation are conducted through the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (Sipo) that was established in 2004.

“The implementation of Sipo is meant to strengthen and deepen cooperation in the areas of politics, defence and security in Sadc,” Col Ibuge added.

The Sipo was revised in November 2012 and is now in the process of being realigned in the medium term plan for the period 2015-2020.

One of the goals is to ensure Sipo and the Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) are fully harmonised.

Furthermore, Sadc ratified its Mutual Defence Pact which it established in 2003 as a framework for security cooperation among its member states.

The pact has been put in place in the face of external aggression and reflects a broader intention to build a regional security community in the bloc.

The peace and security related aspects under the Sadc Treaty include those touching on human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

The bloc can boast of making significant strides on this through, for instance, consolidation of democratic practice and institutions.

These, according to analysts, also include consolidation in the citizens’ participation in the decision-making processes.

The defence pact has seen Sadc member countries mobilising forces when one of its partner state is subjected to an aggression from outside its borders.

“In Sadc, you don’t just attack our member. We will squarely deal with such an aggressor,” affirmed Dr Stergomena Tax, the organisation’s executive secretary.

Besides protecting a member country from ‘foreign’ aggression, Sadc has also initiated mediation of politically conflicting parties within a state.

This has partly seen ‘a semblance of peace’ now prevailing in some Sadc member countries until recently in unending political turbulences.

These include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Comoro, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. They experienced political turbulences at certain times.

The mediation of warring parties internally (within a country) and repulsing of an external aggression have,nevertheless, been undertaken with care.

This is due to the nature of such conflicts and geopolitical implications should Sadc deploy its forces to the scene.

However, despite successes in the area of politics, defence and security in recent years, Sadc continues to face a number of political and socio-economic challenges.

These include inter-state and intra-state conflicts, illegal migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons as well as corruption.

The bloc of over 334 million people is also still grappling with consolidation of democracy as well as economic underdevelopment and poverty and HIV/Aids pandemic.