Expert warns Chakwera against unilateral decision to send Malawi soldier to battle Islamist insurgents

An international relations affairs expert has warned President Lazarus Chakwera against making a unilateral decision without Sadc to send Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldiers to fight Islamist insurgents in Mozambique.

President Chakwera depart at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe from Botswana. Pic (C) by Daniel Namwini-Mana

President Chakwera told the media in Botswana during an extraordinary Sadc Troika meeting last week that he would send the Malawi troops in Capo Delgado to fight the insurgents.

But Wilson Khembo, an international relations expert says making the commitment unilaterally comes with risks.

“We potentially open a new battlefront for the Islamic insurgents, Ansar al Sunna. Ignoring the problem also leaves us exposed as intelligence has already suggested the existence of sleeper cells within our borders,” says Khembo on his Facebook wall.

Chakwera is the incoming chairperson of Sadc.

Khembo says Sadc has a blueprint for a coordinated and successful military operation, saying in 2013, M23 were havoc in eastern DRC but troops from Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa under the banner of Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) operating under the UN took the battle to M23.

“This was a fighting operation like no other and within months, M23 was defeated and their backers, Rwanda, retreated,” he says.

He says the FIB operations benefitted from South Africa’s sophisticated airpower and effectiveness of Malawian troops.

“Politically, the Sadc member states demonstrated that they could take the fight to African states that are using proxies to destabilize Africa,” says Khembo.

He says this same framework can be used in DRC and Mozambique, saying it is high time Sadc took initiative to resolve persistent conflicts in DRC, Mozambique and to some extent, Zimbabwe.

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John Thomas
John Thomas
3 years ago

Its drastic measure tayambani mwaganizira umphawi wanu musadapange chiganizo chimenecho, bwanji enao akungoonelera? Inu mutamike kapena mukufuna kutchuka? Musatibweresele nkhondo dziko lathu la mtendereyi I think it will be more important kutipangira zomwe mudatilonjeza nthawi ya campaign rather than bilateral and unilateral issues zomwe mukulimbana nazozi 🤕🤕🤕🙄🙄🙄🙄

innocent kandulu
innocent kandulu
3 years ago

ife tidzingolimbana ndiumphawi wathuwu. pano tili ku mayiko anthu ena koma tida kaponyendwabe miyala ndiye tivutikilanji kukathandidza mozambique atsiyeni!!!!

innocent kandulu
innocent kandulu
3 years ago

don’t try malawi

Muliyekha
Muliyekha
3 years ago

Koma bwana president samalani tilibe ndalama zomenyera nkhondo yoiyamba dala.Musakomedwe ndi u Chair wa Sadc kuti muwaike a Malawi pamavuto munayamba kale ndi Embassy ku Jerusalem

DRAKE
DRAKE
3 years ago

THE BEST THING IS TO RECRUIT MOZAMBIQUEANS AROUND OUR BORDERS TRAIN THEM AT MAFCO AND DEPLOY THEM TO FIGHT WITH MATERIAL HELP FROM SADC. FRELIMO SOLDIERS ARE A DEMOROLISED FORCE WITH NO FORMAL TRAINING BUT SIMPLY CARRYING A GUN AND HARASSING VILLAGERS, THEY NEED COMMANDERS FROM MALAWI, ZAMBIA AND ZIMBABWE TO TRAIN THEM AND COMMAND THEM INTO THIS BATTLE AND CLEAR ISIS OUT OF MOCAMBIQUE

phiri
3 years ago

REMEMBER NKHONDO YA AWA SIMAKHALA FACE TO FACE IWO AMAKONDA YOBISALIRA,KUPONYA MABOMBA PAMSIKA, MMATCHALITCHI MMIZIKITI VERY SORRY MR PRESIDENT

phiri
3 years ago

IYI NDIYE YAFIKA KU MALAWI ICC BASI, ACHAKWERA ADZATHAWIRA KU USA KUTIYA MMAVUTO.THIS MAN IS NOT A POLITICIAN SHAME ON YOU

Nangozo
Nangozo
3 years ago

President koma akanakhala Chilima uja awa uuuuh

John chidongo
3 years ago

Kutengeka ati poti akhala a president a SADC ndiye kuyambiratu kuonetsa mphamvu kuwaona amene alipo pano kupusa eti bwanji iwo sanachitepo kanthu? Sindiye kuti akuopa kubweretsa nkhondo kumayiko kwao. Ndichifukwa mukumayenda yenda kukambirana nao iwo sakufuna nkuona mukungokalandirako nyonzo. Mphuma silabwino. Ndekhani zikozani kaya za ku Malawi.

Bamusi
3 years ago

What do we benefit from Mozambique? Anthu woyipa awa, they are tochuring our fellow Malawians when doing business there. They are so horrible,! Let them face the music.

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