SADC defence ministers meet on regional security

Defence ministers from the 14 member states of the South African Development Community (SADC) have stressed the urgency to resolve prevailing conflicts in the sub-region, Xinhua reported. The ministers made the call on Thursday while attending the 22nd session of the SADC Interstate Defense and Security Committee in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The three-day meeting, which opened on Tuesday, focused on the current armed conflicts in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the report said. Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili said at the meeting that the two war-ravaged countries were SADC members and that was why it was imperative for all SADC members to work harder to end the conflicts. “As a regional organisation we shall overcome these and other conflicts so that the SADC is ushered into an era of peace, security and stability,” Mosisili was quoted as saying. The prime minister said the SADC, following the demise of apartheid and the pressing demand for economic cooperation, had seen the need to address issues relating to common defense and security. “All over the world, regional and international groupings and organisations have come to realise the importance of putting in place a sound defence mechanism to enhance peace and stability,” he stressed.