Lesotho to chair SADC security body
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sunday Express
Lesotho has been chosen to chair the Southern African Development Community’s Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, with Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane at its head. The decision was taken at an extraordinary virtual summit on 21 October, following a months-long dispute with Angola, according to a SADC statement.
Lesotho has been designated to chair the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. The decision was taken on Wednesday 21 October at an extraordinary virtual summit of heads of state and government, SADC said in a statement.
Lesotho’s Prime Minister, Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane, will assume the incoming chairmanship. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who led the meeting as SADC’s current chair, welcomed Angola’s contribution to the agreement and expressed confidence in Lesotho’s role in strengthening regional peace and security, according to SABC News.
The designation ends a disagreement between Lesotho and Angola, after no consensus was reached at the SADC ordinary summit in Durban in August. The matter was referred to an extraordinary meeting. As incoming chair, Lesotho joins the Organ’s leadership troika before taking over the chairmanship in the next rotation.
Security discussions focused in particular on conflicts and population displacement in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, violent extremism in northern Mozambique and the consequences of climate disasters. Ramaphosa said these crises required sustained regional vigilance and cooperation.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
