WHEN President Jakaya Kikwete took on the chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in August this year, number one on his agenda was to deal with the ongoing war in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the political stalemate in Madagascar and the elections in Zimbabwe.
It is against this background that with regard to DRC, the SADC Extraordinary Summit in Dar es Salaam over the weekend noted they need to put an end to this constant pressure on the region and stave off potential influx of refugees in the process. They thus pledged to provide 4,000 troops for a neutral force to be deployed in eastern Congo where rebels have waged an eight month-long rebellion, the South African Development Community (SADC).
...