Communique of the 1062nd meeting of the PSC held on 31 January 2022 on the Deployment of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM)

AFRICAN UNION

(A/n juni

UNIAO AFRICANA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, P.O. Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 5513 822 Fax: (251-11) 5519 321

Email: situationroom@africa-union.org

PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 1062^nd MEETING 31 JANUARY 2022 ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

PSC/PR/COMM.2/1062 (2022)

COMMUNIQUE

COMMUNIQUE

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1062^nd meeting held on 31 January 2022 on the Deployment of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM):

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling the relevant provisions of the Constitutive Act, especially article 4 (j) and the Protocol Relatingto the Establishment ofthe Peace and Security Council ofthe African Union, particularly Article 13 (g) concerning the deployment of peace support missions and the establishment of the African Standby Force (ASF);

Faithful to the OAU/AU 50^th Anniversary Solemn Declaration, in which the Heads of State and Government pledged their determination to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Continent, to make peace a reality for all of Africa's citizens and not to bequeath the burden of conflicts to future generations; while reajfirming its commitment to Agenda 2063 and its flagship programme of Silencing the Guns by 2030;

Noting the opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, Permanent Representative ofthe Republic of Ghana to the AU and Chairperson ofthe PSC for January 2022, and the statement by Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; also noting the statements by H.E. Ambassador Alfredo Nuvunga, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mozambique to the AU; H.E Ambassador Xolisa Makaya, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the AU and representing the Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation; the representative of Rwanda, Brig. General Vincent Nyakarundi, and the representative of the European Union (EU) Delegation to the AU;

Reajfirming the solidarity of the AU with the people and Government of the Republic of Mozambique in their legitimate aspirations to effectively counter terrorism and achieve lasting peace, stability and socio-economic development, and reiterating the unwavering commitment of the AU to continue to respect Mozambique's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Deplores the continued acts of terrorism in Cabo Delgado Province, adversely impacting the lives and livelihoods of innocent civilians, women and children, resulting in the displacement of the affected populations and destruction of infrastructure;

2. Endorses the deployment of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) from 15 July 2021, within the framework of the African Standby Force (ASF), to serve as a regional response to support the Republic of Mozambique to combat terrorism and acts of violent extremism, restore security and law and order in the affected areas in Cabo Delgado province, as well as provide humanitarian relief to those affected by terrorist activities, following approval by the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of SADC held in Mozambique on 23 June 2021, in accordance with the relevant provisions contained in the SADC Treaty and Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation,;

3. Also endorses the Communique of the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 12 January 2022, and welcomes the extension of the mandate of SAMIM for a further three months;

4. Commends the commitment by the Government of the Republic of Mozambique towards addressing the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism in Cabo Delgado Province and other affected areas, and encourages the Government to redouble its efforts towards comprehensively addressing the attendant structural drivers of conflict and extremism in the concerned areas, including through countering extremist ideology and blocking sources of funding for terrorist activities;

5. Specifically commends the collective leadership demonstrated by SADC in committing resources and deploying SAMIM, within the framework of ASF, as a peace-enforcement mission to neutralise the terrorist threat and restore state-authority in the affected districts in Cabo Delegado; therefore, applauds all the SADC Member States that have contributed contingents to form SAMIM, while paying tribute to those who have paid the ultimate price in defence of Mozambique's territorial integrity and political unity, while expressing heartfelt condolences to the families and Governments of those who lost their lives in the pursuit of peace and stability for Mozambique;

6. Welcomes the contribution of forces by the Republic of Rwanda to complement the efforts of the Government of Mozambique, in countering terrorism and stabilising the affected region, based on the existing bilateral agreement between the two Member States, in the spirit of African solution to African problems; and to this effect, calls on AU and partners to continue to support the efforts of Rwanda in coordination with the SAMIM in Mozambique;

7. In this regard, requests the Commission to undertake the following in support ofthe Government of Mozambique and SAMIM:

1. intensify engagements with the Government of Mozambique, SADC and SAMIM, to enhance coordination in supporting efforts aimed at combating terrorism and violent extremism, and restoring security in affected areas;

2. promptly provide SADC with the required equipment already identified at the Continental Logistics Base (CLB) in Douala, Cameroon, to support its efforts through SAMIM and ensure effective implementation of SAMIM's mandate and tasks; and

3. provide substantial additional equipment from the second batch of military aid being donated by the Government of the People's Republic of China to the AU to support the efforts of SAMIM expected to be delivered directly to the Nakala Port in Mozambique during 2022;

8. Appeals to all Member States, as well as the United Nations (UN), EU and the broader international community to extend their support to SAMIM and Mozambique, through the provision of the requisite materials, technical and financial resources;

9. Directs the Commission, based on SAMIM requirements, to continue engaging with the EU to explore all options to facilitate the use of the Early Response Mechanism (ERM) as appropriate for its support to SAMIM;

10. Further directs the Commission to assist in mobilizing financial resources to support the building up of the operational capacity of the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces (FDS) in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism;

11. Requests the Commission and the SADC Secretariat to provide regular updates to the Council on progress in the implementation of SAMIM's mandates to enable appropriate decisions and support as may be required;

12. Further requests the Chairperson of the AU Commission to transmit the communique to the UN Secretary-General, requesting that the said communique be circulated as an official UN Security Council document, as well as to share the same with other relevant international bodies; and

13. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.