The Southern African Development Community (SADC) security troika is set to meet in the Namibian capital Windhoek on Tuesday to discuss the political and security situation in Eswatini, Mozambique and other parts of the region.Namibia’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said President Hage Geingob would on January 31 chair an extraordinary summit of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation to “discuss the political and security situation in the region.” 

Geingob is current chairperson of the SADC Organ, which is responsible for promoting peace and security in the 16-member bloc.

Other members of the organ troika are Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa who are incoming and outgoing chairperson, respectively.

On the agenda of the extraordinary summit would be an update on the work of the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), the political tensions in Eswatini and instability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

SAMIM is a regional force deployed in July 2021 to help Mozambique fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency in northern Mozambique.

The summit takes place amid calls by SADC and other organisation for a thorough probe into the assassination of prominent Eswatini pro-democracy activist Thulani Maseko on January 21.

The assassination follows months of tension in Africa’s last absolute monarchy that has seen hundreds of pro-democracy activists pushing for political reforms. 

The SADC troika is also expected to discuss the situation in eastern DRC, including the tension between the Congolese government and neighbouring Rwanda.

The extraordinary summit would be preceded by a meeting of Ministerial Committee of the Organ late on Monday.