TANZANIA is spearheading efforts by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to help restore peace and stability in Mozambique amidst the ongoing disturbances.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan who also serves as chairperson of the SADC organ on politics, defence and security cooperation, over the weekend led an emergency virtual meeting to see what the organ can do to help alleviate the situation.

Zambia and Malawi, as members of the SADC troika (three member committee), were present at the meeting, to discuss scenarios and inputs towards potential solutions to the crisis in Mozambique.

The leaders issued recommendations on how SADC can assist Mozambique in resolving the current political unrest, top officials said, .in the wake of regional consultations the president chaired at the Tunguu State House, Zanzibar.

Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, the Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation minister, Dr. Stergomena Tax, the Defense and National Service minister, attended the regional consultations, assisted by permanent secretaries Ambassador Samwel Shelukindo and Dr Faraji Mnyepe for the two ministries, respectively.

Mozambique has faced political turmoil following the opposition party’s rejection of results of the country’s general election held last October 9.

Thousands of Mozambicans have fled across the border to Malawi as post-election violence escalates, leaving homes destroyed and lives uprooted. Families seek refuge in makeshift camps, recounting harrowing tales of survival and loss, media outlets indicate

An internal note handed to the meeting from Eswatini authorities, nearly 1,000 Mozambicans have crossed the border into the tiny kingdom over the past two months. Many have found shelter at the Malindza Refugee Centre near the border, which is now overwhelmed, officials stated. 

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) sad that the facility was originally designed to house 250 people, and it now struggles to accommodate the influx, hence urgently seeking additional funding to cope with the situation, they added.