The final communiqué from the SADC heads of state summit that ended in Maputo on Saturday night called on Rwanda “to cease immediately its interference that constitutes a threat to peace and stability, not only of the DRC, but also of the SADC region”.
The summit also mandated the SADC chairperson, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza to visit Rwanda in order “to engage the government of Rwanda with the aim or urging it to stop military support to armed rebels in the DRC”.
The SADC leaders instructed the organisation’s Secretariat “to collaborate with the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region in pursuit of peace and security in the eastern DRC”.
As for the crisis in Madagascar, the summit insisted on the “full and urgent implementation” of the road map agreed last year by the Malagasy political parties which should lead to elections in 2013.
Speaking at a press conference following the summit, Guebuza said that SADC believes that Marc Ravalomanana, the president deposed in a 2009 coup, “has the right to return unconditionally to Madagascar to take part in the political process”. Measures should therefore be taken “that will allow him to return in safety”.
The man who seized power in 2009, Andre Rajoelina, has threatened that Ravalomanana will be arrested the moment he sets foot on Madagascan soil. This issue is now the main stumbling block in the way of next year’s elections.
On Zimbabwe, the summit claimed that progress has been made in implementing the Global Political Agreement (GPA), signed in 2009 by Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF and the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). It urged the three parties “to work together on the Constitution making process”.
The text of a new constitution was finalized in July. At least the two MDCs thought the text was final – but, to their anger, ZANU-PF has been demanding changes in the text.
Well aware that this dispute could postpone a referendum on the new constitution, which ought to be held in October, the SADC leaders urged the Zimbabwean parties to develop “a Roadmap with timelines that are guided by the requirements of the process necessary for adoption of the constitution and the creation of conditions for free and fair elections”.
The Summit urged that “if there any difficulties with regard to the Constitution and implementation of agreements, the Facilitator (South African President Jacob Zuma) should be called upon to engage with the parties and assist them resolve such issues, bearing in mind the timeframes and the necessity to hold free and fair elections”.
The summit also “noted the partial lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe and urged the European Union and the rest of the international community to lift all the sanctions unconditionally”.
The summit did not discuss the border dispute between Malawi and Tanzania over ownership of Lake Niassa. Guebuza said that, since the matter is still being discussed between the two countries, it was “not on the SADC agenda”. He said Malawi and Tanzania have both ruled out any resort to war, and will solve the problem through diplomatic means.
But there also appear to be border problems between Malawi and Mozambique. Radio Mozambique reported that on Friday Malawian police crossed the border into Niassa province, kidnapped 11 Mozambican fishermen (six of whom later escaped) and confiscated their equipment.
Guebuza said this incident has yet to be clarified. He told reporters that members of the Niassa Provincial government are visiting Malawi “to find out what happened”. If necessary the issue would go before the Mozambique-Malawi Joint Defence and Security Commission.
Post published in: Africa News