This archive report was first published on 13 January 2022.
Published on January 13, 2022, Southern African leaders have agreed to extend the mandate of a regional troop deployment fighting insurgents in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado.
The decision was made during a two-day extraordinary summit in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, where the countries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) met to discuss the ongoing conflict.
According to a communique released at the end of the summit, the SADC leaders 'noted the good progress made by the deployment of the SADC Mission in Mozambique and extended its mandate.'
The SADC mission was first deployed in June last year to help Mozambique counter the insurgency in the northern parts of the country, which began in 2017.
The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced tens of thousands of people, with the violence also disrupting oil and gas projects worth billions of dollars.
On Tuesday, Mozambique inked another deal to extend the stay of Rwandan troops in the country for a further six months, to ensure liberated areas are not retaken by the group calling itself al-Shabaab.
