Dar to host SADC meet on regional stability

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA’S commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, will host the 27th Ministerial Committee of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (MCO) from 21st to 25th July 2025 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC).

This annual meeting provides a platform for delegates from SADC member states to deliberate on matters relating to peace and security, political cooperation and democratic processes across the region. It is one of SADC’s principal decision-making bodies, traditionally convened each July.

Recognising that peace, security and political stability are cornerstones of SADC’s mission to foster socioeconomic development, the meeting is expected to gather around 300 delegates, including Ministers and Senior Officials responsible for Foreign Affairs, Defence, Home Affairs and State Security from all 16 SADC Member States.

Notably, President Samia Suluhu Hassan was appointed Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in August 2024, placing Tanzania at the helm of overseeing regional peace and stability efforts in accordance with the SADC Protocol.

As the current Chair, Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, will preside over the 27th MCO Ministerial Meeting on 24th and 25th July 2025. This will be preceded by a Senior Officials Meeting on 21st and 22nd July.

This year’s meeting will take stock of key issues critical to regional peace and stability, including assessing collective progress and outlining future strategies to address prevailing political and security challenges.

Delegates will also deliberate on the increasing complexity of conflicts and explore enhanced mechanisms for conflict prevention, management and resolution, including robust early warning systems capable of monitoring political, security and socio-economic threats.

During its tenure as Chair, Tanzania has played a prominent role in advancing democracy and peace in the region, notably through its leadership of SADC Electoral Observation Missions (SEOMs) to Mozambique, Botswana, Mauritius and Namibia between October and November 2024.

These missions were led by Tanzanian dignitaries appointed by President Samia in her capacity as Chair of the Organ. Tanzania also coordinated and presided over five Extraordinary Organ Summits between November 2024 and March 2025, which addressed crucial matters concerning regional peace and security.

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Moreover, Tanzania hosted the 3rd SADC Senior Officials Inter-State Politics and Diplomacy Committee (ISPDC) Meeting in February 2025, in Dar es Salaam.

The session reviewed political developments in SADC, election reports, and progress on the SADC Founders’ Honour Mechanism, which includes the construction of statues and a regional museum.

As part of this initiative, SADC and Tanzania unveiled a statue of the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere Founding Father of Tanzania on 18th February 2024 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, recognising his contribution to the liberation of Southern Africa. In terms of peacekeeping, Tanzania contributed troops and equipment to the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), launched in December 2023.

While the mission’s mandate was terminated during the Extra-Ordinary Summit on 13th March 2025, Tanzania played a key role in the peaceful withdrawal of troops and equipment from Eastern DRC, emphasising a return to political and diplomatic conflict resolution.

The high-level event in Dar is expected not only to bolster regional cooperation on peace and security but also to benefit Tanzania’s tourism and service sectors. Delegates are expected to visit iconic destinations such as Bagamoyo and Zanzibar, providing an opportunity to showcase the country’s cultural heritage and hospitality.

Beyond tourism, local businesses in hospitality, transport and service sectors are expected to benefit from the economic activity generated by the event. The meeting reaffirms Tanzania’s leadership role in regional peace, governance and stability.

The Ministerial Committee of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (MCO) is convened annually as part of the bloc’s recognition that peace, security and political stability are fundamental to economic growth and development.

However, while facilitating the movement of people and goods across borders can spur economic development, it also opens avenues for illicit activities, including smuggling, wildlife trafficking, terrorism and illegal arms trade. SADC’s Public Security Sector therefore includes immigration control, anti-wildlife crime enforcement and border security working in coordination with Customs agencies.

It also develops policy and strategy frameworks to manage refugees and asylum seekers. As a comprehensive pillar of human security, Public Security also oversees corrections and reintegration services aimed at reducing reoffending, while managing regional anti-corruption efforts through the SADC Protocol Against Corruption, implemented via the Strategic Anti-Corruption Action Plan (2018–2022).

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The Mandate of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security is to provide a foundation of Peace and Stability in the SADC Region as a prerequisite for the achievement of SADC objectives of socioeconomic development, poverty eradication and regional integration, as espoused in the SADC Vision 2050 and the RISDP 2020-2030.

The Organ covers sectors including Politics and Diplomacy, Defence, State Security, Public Security Regional Peacekeeping and Police.

It is guided by the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation which aims to promote peace and security in SADC, protect the region’s people from instability due to the breakdown of law and order, develop a common foreign policy for the region and cooperate on matters related to security and defence.

The organ structure is composed of the Chairperson of the Organ, the Troika, Ministerial Committee, an InterState Politics and Diplomacy Committee (ISPDC) and an Inter-State Defence and Security Committee (ISDSC). Others other sub-structures as may be established by any of the ministerial committees.