SADC summit in Harare as the region faces multiple challenges

Heads of state and government from the 16-nation Southern African Development Community gathered in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, on Saturday for a scheduled summit.

It took placed as the region faces multiple challenges, including an ongoing drought, protracted fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the outbreak of a new and more deadly strain of the mpox virus.

The DRC has also been the epicentre of the epidemic which has spread of at least nine neighbouring countries, with cases recorded in Sweden and Pakistan.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization declared the spread of the new strain a public health emergency of international concern.

SADC’s Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi, began by extending “solidarity and support to member states affected by mpox”.

“We further request the World Health Organization, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and other partners to avail the resources towards the mpox response in the region,” he said.

Other regional issues on the agenda included food security.

SADC estimates that about 68 million people in Southern Africa are suffering the effects of a drought which has wiped out crops across the region.

It started early in the year and has hit crop and livestock production, causing food shortages and damaging the wider economies of countries.

Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, assumed SADC leadership during the summit, a critical first for his administration.

“Each chairperson carries forward with a vision of the region. If I am going to carry my own vision I will detail the vision of the region,” he said.

The summit took place amid increasing concerns about host, Zimbabwe’s crackdown on human rights, including the arrests of opposition members and activists.