SAPMIL increases operational capacity in Lesotho

Luanda, ANGOLA, May 18 - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Preventive Mission in the Kingdom of Lesotho (SAPMIL) said it will increase its second term’s operational capacity, in force since May. ,

 

This was announced Friday in Luanda by the chairman of SADC Defence Subcommittee, Egídio de Sousa Santos when speaking at the opening of the 26th meeting of the organ.

 

He said that the component for training, operations, civil-military relations, political counseling and military intelligence will be increased.

 

The decision to extend the mission stemmed from the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the SADC Double Troika.

 

The Summit held last April in Luanda reviewed the political situation in Lesotho, in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Republic of Madagascar.

 

Egídio de Sousa Santos, who is also Chief of Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), said that the first mandate (December 2017 to May 2018) was marked by noncompliance with the mission.

 

According to him, the first mandate did not reach its full operational capacity due to lack of the above components referred to above.

 

Addressing the opening ceremony of 26th meeting, which ended today, the Army general pledged to discuss further the issue in a specific forum, with participation of the police and intelligence subcommittees.

 

He hopes that debate focuses on the issues related to the Intervention Brigade Force (FIB), the UN Mission DRC (MONUSCO) and the Mission in Lesotho (SAPMIL).

 

This is crucial, he said, as the countries directly engaged in the two missions have been providing their forces and means to keep them operational.

 

The chairman of the Subcommittee of Defense of SADC also spoke of the need to

implement the issues that constitute specific operational, legal and logistical challenges.

 

 

To him, the objective is to deal with the different  "modus operandis" of the Negative Forces operating in the eastern DRC.

 

Regarding this matter, he underlined, Angola has expressed its concern during the Troika of the Defense Sub-committee, the contributing countries with troops in the Intervention Brigade Force and the DRC with the United Nations peacekeeping operations department, on 15 of February 2018 in New York.

 

The FAA Chief of Staff defends the need of the meeting to set more appropriate methods to maintain the operation of the force, based on  Goma meetings and the visits to the deployment areas of the brigade by the Joint Technical Evaluation mission from 26 April to 5 May 2018, before the end of the UN mandate to DRC.

 

He expressed Angola's full openness and availability to support efforts and initiatives aimed at achieving peaceful solution to the existing conflicts, through negotiation aimed at peace and security.

 

On the occasion, the Chief of staff paid tribute to the 14 Tanzanian blue helmets killed on 17 December in eastern DRC, in a raid believed to have been perpetrated by terrorist group Alliance of Democratic Forces (ADF).

 

The one-day is discussing the reports of the standing committees and working groups, the state of implementation of the actions with SADC stand-by force.

 

The meeting is also analysing the reports on SAPMIL progress, concerted meetings between the UN and SADC Double Troika and troops contributing countries in the Intervention Brigade Force (IBF).

 

SADC comprises South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

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