The role of the Southern African development community in conflict resolution : the case study of Mozambique

Abstract

For the past seven years, Northern Mozambique has faced a deadly conflict which left millions of people displaced and many brutally killed. SADC as a regional bloc raised concerns about these terror attacks and human rights abuses in the region. This study examines the role played by SADC in Conflict Resolution in Mozambique. The specific objectives are to assess the root causes of the Mozambique Conflict; to analyse the mechanisms and methods adopted by SADC in resolving the Mozambique Conflict; to investigate the challenges faced by SADC in its efforts to resolve the Mozambique Conflict. The study uses a secondary data collection method, a document review and qualitative content data analysis to interpret the data. The findings reveal that the root causes of the Mozambique conflict are historical and mostly emanate from poor governance. The discovery and mismanagement of the dividends from the booming natural gas and rubie industry triggered the conflict. This resulted in the radicalisation of youth in the region. The historical injustices of marginalisation and discrimination resurfaced and fuelled the conflict. Responding to the conflict, SADC adopted a military intervention to fight terror, protect innocent citizens and restore law and order in the region. The SADC mission in Mozambique was not smooth, going into the conflict there were a lot of questions about their preparedness to face the insurgents, a lack of trust and diplomatic tensions with Rwanda, poor communication/ interoperability, financial constraints, and a lack of political from the Mozambican government.