SADC Organ Troika Ministerial Committee Convenes to Tackle Regional Security Priorities

The Ministerial Committee of the Troika of the Organ (MCO) on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) met on 15th August 2025 in Antananarivo on the margins of the 45th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government. Chaired by Hon. Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East Africa Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania and Chairperson of the MCO, the meeting reviewed and cleared documents for the Organ Troika Summit scheduled for 16 August 2025.

The MCO is a key SADC institution mandated under the SADC Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation to coordinate the work and structures of the Organ, providing strategic oversight on matters of peace, stability, and security in the region.

Ministers deliberated on a wide range of political and security issues, including:

• The security situation and political-diplomatic responses to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

• The political and security situation in the Republic of Mozambique

• Resolution of the DRC-Zambia border matter

• Review of elections in the region

• Mediation, conflict prevention, and preventive diplomacy mechanisms

In his remarks, H.E. Elias Magosi, SADC Executive Secretary, reaffirmed SADC’s commitment to peace in the eastern DRC, noting that while the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) has concluded its mandate, the region remains dedicated to supporting stability. He highlighted the Joint Summit of the East African Community (EAC) and SADC held on 13 August 2025, where leaders agreed to merge EAC-SADC and African Union (AU) mediation structures into a unified, AU-led process under the AU Commission. This strategic alignment will strengthen coordination, harmonise peace efforts, and enhance continental leadership in resolving the conflict.

The Troika of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation is composed of:

1. United Republic of Tanzania-Chair

2. Republic of Zambia-Outgoing Chair

3. Republic of Malawi-Incoming Chair