Tanzania champions stronger coordination for a more secure SADC

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania, chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation has stressed that the region must reinforce coordination, strategic engagement, and collective action to address persistent and evolving security threats.

Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary of the ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Samwel Shelukindo, made this call while officially opening the 27th Meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ (MCO) on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in Dar es Salaam on Monday.

The five-day meeting, which brings together around 300 delegates from across the 16 SADC member states, comes at a time when the regional body is reflecting on its peacekeeping role and charting a path forward for deeper stability.

The country is preparing to hand over the chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation this August.

“It is imperative that we strengthen coordination and engagement at the regional, continental, and international levels,” Dr Shelukindo emphasised.

“This collective approach will enable us to address the persistent security challenges more effectively and in a timely manner.”

The statement reflects the growing consensus that while military interventions have helped mitigate armed conflicts in parts of the region, such as Eastern DRC, long-lasting peace will require synchronized political, diplomatic, and socio-economic responses.

Since President Samia Suluhu Hassan assumed the chairpersonship of the SADC Organ in August 2024, Tanzania has played a leading role in steering the region through critical peace and security challenges.

Over the past year, the country coordinated five Extra-Ordinary Organ Troika Summits and led four SADC Electoral Observer Missions (SEOMs) to Mozambique, Botswana, Mauritius, and Namibia.

These missions helped ensure peaceful electoral processes and reaffirmed Tanzania’s commitment to democracy and regional cohesion.

Tanzania’s crowning moment as chair came in February 2025, when it hosted the first-ever Joint EAC-SADC Summit in Dar es Salaam.

This historic gathering aimed to harmonize the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes in the DRC—an effort to consolidate fragmented interventions into a single, cohesive regional strategy.

Dr Shelukindo said this joint initiative was necessary due to “the complexities in Eastern DRC that continue to create a massive security vacuum,” adding that although the deployment of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) since 2023 had contributed to peace efforts, “the surge in armed attacks and the eventual withdrawal of the Mission has necessitated a shift from military approach towards political and diplomatic interventions.”

Security analyst Dr Rose Mwanyika from the Centre for Strategic Studies in Dodoma praised Tanzania’s leadership, especially in facilitating cooperation among regional blocs.

“The challenge with African peace initiatives has often been fragmentation,” she said.

“Tanzania’s effort in bringing together the EAC and SADC under one dialogue framework is a model for future conflict resolution in Africa.”

However, she cautioned that political coordination alone is insufficient.

“For long-term peace, there must be investment in rebuilding local institutions in conflict areas like Eastern DRC. SADC must support governance, justice systems, and community engagement.”

Adding to the conversation, a former AU conflict resolution expert, Mr Steven Mathewe, called for a reassessment of post-mission strategies.

“As SAMIDRC’s mandate concludes, we must conduct After-Action Reviews to extract lessons,” he said.

“The same goes for the Southern African Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM). We need a doctrine for future interventions grounded in regional realities.”

Mr Mathewe also stressed the importance of early warning mechanisms.

“We must enhance our regional Early Warning Systems to detect brewing tensions before they escalate into conflicts. Tanzania has initiated this well, others must follow suit.”

Beyond the DRC, the SADC region is also contending with rising transnational organized crimes, human trafficking, cybercrime, motor vehicle theft, and illicit drug networks.

According to Dr Shelukindo, these crimes threaten the attainment of the SADC Vision 2050 and require “strengthened regional mechanisms aimed at prevention and cooperation.”

Tanzania’s call for action resonates with leaders across the region.

The ongoing MCO meeting is expected to deliberate on reports from several sub-committees, including the Interstate Politics and Diplomacy Committee, Public Security Sub-Committee, and SARPCO, to shape actionable policy frameworks that address the threats head-on.

As the clock ticks toward the August 2025 transition of leadership, Tanzania’s tenure as Chair of the SADC Organ has laid down a template for regional collaboration grounded in diplomacy, strategic dialogue, and operational efficiency.

“The legacy we leave as Chair,” Dr Shelukindo concluded, “should be one of enhanced unity, stronger institutions, and a more resilient Southern Africa.”

For now, all eyes are on the outcomes of this week's deliberations, outcomes that could redefine the security architecture of the region for years to come.