President Hakainde Hichilema Must Dismantle “Political Commandoes”
“……………With globalization, no country in Africa can be said to be safe from Islamic State-linked militants. Back home not long ago, it became a normal feature for political parties to boost of having in their ranks, “commandoes” ………”
President Hakainde Hichilema has travelled to Malawi to attend the extraordinary summit of the Southern African Development Community Head of State and government.
President Hichilema is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kakubo, Defence Minister Ambrose Lufuma and Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu.
Southern African Leaders will be discussing among other topics, the security situation in Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique.
Analysis
There has been a rise in the insurgency in the Northern part of Mozambique since 2017.
Here is a brief background about Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique.
Cabo Delgado, a gas-rich province bordering Tanzania, has been gripped by attacks by Islamic State-linked militants since 2017. At least 3,500 people have died and around 820,000 have fled their homes.
Atrocities include massacres, beheadings, to of homes and mass abductions, especially of girls.
In order to address the situation, Regional Leaders approved the deployment of the SADC mission in Mozambique by July 2021, to combat acts of violent extremism in the affected area of Cabo Delgado Province.
The SADC Mission in Mozambique was initially deployed in July, but its mandate was extended indefinitely in October. SADC members and Rwanda stepped in six months ago to assist the struggling Mozambican army, bringing in more than 3,000 troops.
Zambia cannot afford to miss this summit and it is encouraging that President Hichilema is part of other African Leaders seeking to find a solution to arrest the insurgency in Mozambique.
Our team of analysts believes that African nations must invest in “ground intelligence” so that such camps are curbed before they ground their operations in the country. With globalization, no country in Africa can be said to be safe from such groups. Back home not long ago, it became a normal feature for a political party is to boost of having in their ranks, “commandoes”, these were very common feature during the reign of the Patriotic Front, the trend was also common among UPND structures.
Such groups act as entry points for extremists’ usually Mostly people initiated into the “commandoes” tactics are usual not in formal employment which makes them vulnerable to groups that can promise and offer them some money.
Taking you back a bit, beginning in October 2017, armed Islamist extremists linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) launched a jihadist insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region, which is rich in minerals.
In conclusion, Zambia is discovering minerals such as gold, diamond, mining activities going on in such areas must be guarded heavily because there is usually an influx of foreign nationals to areas hosting these minerals, authorities do not know the background of these foreign nationals.
The Speech Analyst
12.01.2022 S