27 Jul 2021

SADC intervention in Mozambique will assist Botswana to rid itself of acts of terrorism and enjoy peace, which is key to achieving regional socio-economic transformation, Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, Dr Lemogang Kwape  has said.

Delivering a statement in Parliament on Monday, Dr Kwape said the SADC standby force was made up of resources pledged by member states on standby arrangement. These comprised the military, police and civilian components.

Deployment of troops in Mozambique, he said, was a military operation supporting the humanitarian operation, adding that ‘South Africa National Defence Force will take the force commander position while BDF will provide the deputy force commander for the mission and head of the regional coordinating mechanism for the mission’.

He added that the BDF, together with their regional counterparts, would support Mozambique Armed Defence Force to combat terrorism and acts of violent extremism in Cabo Delgado Province for an initial period of three months.

However, he said thwarting terrorist attacks was a complex and challenging task for the international community, particularly for one country, hence  calling for urgent and coordinated regional response to avoid a spill over to the entire region.

“In this regard, no member state can or should face this threat on its own. It is for this reason that SADC is very firm and united, in solidarity to our sister country. As a region, we need to act and act decisively, in a comprehensive manner,” he said.

Members of Parliament applauded deployment of troops to Mozambique saying such would promote regional peace and stability.

Selebi Phikwe West MP, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse said the BDF deployment would most importantly offer exposure and real training as well as validate the armed forces’ combat readiness.

 Mr Keorapetse said sending troops to Mozambique would also enhance Botswana’s diplomatic leverages and further enable it to expand its interests abroad.

Again, he said it was important for the BDF to be deployed in peace keeping missions and active maintenance of truces between warring parties abroad, especially in intra-state conflicts since the UN or AU would rent the BDF equipment and pay its soldiers well.

He nonetheless condemned government for not sufficiently consulting legislators prior to the troop deployment, saying a debriefing of Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Affairs was fitting before the deployment could be made public.

Ghanzi South MP, Mr Motsamai Motsamai, also supported the deployment but was wary of the rationale behind sending troops to Mozambique, arguing that Botswana was in dire need of revenue to commit to curbing the spread of COVID-19.

He also questioned if all channels of dialogue resolutions where exhausted before deploying troops to Mozambique. 

Okavango MP, Mr Kenny Kapinga was of the view that Botswana should also deploy the police and diplomatic component in the peace keeping mission in Mozambique.

Nata-Gweta legislator, Mr Polson Majaga also hailed government for sending troops saying such would further foster bilateral relations between Botswana and the region.

He, however, said government should remunerate the troops accordingly upon completion of the mission.ENDS