Senior officials from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) began a high-level meeting in Salima, Malawi, on Monday to assess the region's political and security situation, with discussions focusing on ongoing conflicts, democratic governance and the implementation of key regional resolutions.
The meeting, held under the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, serves as the technical session ahead of the ministerial meeting scheduled for July 16–17.
It brings together senior government officials from member states to review regional security trends and prepare recommendations for ministers.
Tanzania's delegation is led by Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Said Shaib Mussa.
He is accompanied by Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr Maduhu Kazi, and senior representatives from the country's defence and security institutions, including Chief of General Staff of the Tanzania People's Defence Force, Lieutenant General Salum Haji Othman.
A key item on the agenda is the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where instability continues despite regional diplomatic and military efforts.
Officials are also expected to review political and security developments in Madagascar and Mozambique's Cabo Delgado Province, where SADC has played a significant role in supporting peace and stability.
Beyond security, delegates will assess progress in implementing previous SADC decisions aimed at strengthening regional cooperation.
These include the distribution of Swahili translations of publications by the late Brigadier General Hashim Mbita, one of the region's prominent liberation figures, across member states.
The meeting will also consider proposals to preserve the history of Southern Africa's liberation struggle through the development of a regional museum and the production of documentary films chronicling the contributions of SADC's founding leaders.
The initiatives are intended to safeguard the region's shared historical legacy and make it accessible to future generations.
The recommendations from the senior officials' meeting will be submitted to SADC ministers for consideration during the Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation meeting later this week.
