The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Extraordinary Summit will see the attendance of just four out of the bloc’s 16 heads of state. The summit, set to take place on Wednesday, will be chaired by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Key leaders attending include Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, and Madagascar’s Andry Nirina Rajoelina, who is set to take over as the incoming chair of SADC. Botswana’s newly inaugurated President Duma Gideon Boko will also make his debut at the summit, marking his first participation since assuming office on October 30.
In addition to these heads of state, several senior officials are expected to attend, including South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Eswatini Prime Minister Russel Mmiso Dlamini, and Zanzibar President Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi. Other prominent figures include Angolan Minister of Defence Joao Ernesto Santos and Seychelles’ Minister of Internal Affairs Charles Errol Fonseka.
In preparation for the summit, the SADC Council of Ministers convened on Monday, followed by a meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ Troika on Tuesday.
The summit will focus on pressing regional security issues, particularly the ongoing crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The SADC region’s deployment of the SAMIDRC peacekeeping force, launched in December 2023 with a one-year mandate, will also be reviewed. The mission aims to restore stability to the DRC, laying the groundwork for long-term peace and development in the region.
Ahead of the Heads of State and Government Summit, the Extraordinary SADC Organ Troika Summit will be held, chaired by Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, who is representing Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the current chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation.
