SADC approves budget for Mozambique mission

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has approved a budget for a multinational military force that will be deployed to Mozambique to help counter the insurgency in the northern Cabo Delgado province.

“SADC will finance this mission from its own resources. Additionally, those member states that will be involved in the SADC Standby Force will be expected to make extra contributions to complement what SADC has provided,” said Raphael Faranisi, the Zimbabwe foreign ministry's director of multilateral affairs, after a virtual meeting of ministers on 28 June.

“The minister also discussed the sustainable funding of peace operations in the region. It was agreed that this issue be discussed at the next council of ministers,” he added.

Angolan Foreign Minister Téte António reportedly said the total budget for the mission is USD12 million, including USD7 million that would be contributed by participants. These contributions are expected by 9 July, although a reserve fund could be used to cover late payments to prevent the deployment being delayed.

The deployment was approved by an extraordinary summit of SADC heads of state held at Maputo's international airport on 23 June. A statement said the SADC Standby Force Mission to the Republic of Mozambique would be deployed “in support of Mozambique to combat terrorism and acts of violent extremism in Cabo Delgado”.

It added that the summit endorsed the recommendations of a report from the chairperson of Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation: a reference to an assessment made by a technical team of military officers in April.

The report, a copy of which has been seen by Janes