Preparations, in the form of planning conferences, will see the Southern African Development Community (SADC) stage what is at present called “its first maritime exercise” come October.
The exercise, according to Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Mathebula of the Joint Operations Division of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), will be a riverine operation that will take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and involve Botswana, the DRC, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
It will have five focus points: anti-trafficking; anti-piracy; anti-criminality; anti-pollution; and anti-illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, under the theme “Combined We Combat Maritime Threats.”
Last month (July) Namibia hosted the main planning conference for the as yet unnamed exercise. The Swakopmund conference was attended by representatives from eight SADC member countries, the regional peacekeeping training centre as well as personnel from the SADC Secretariat and the regional bloc development community planning element. The five-day conference followed an initial exercise planning conference in December 2023 in Simon’s Town, South Africa. These efforts stemmed from a decision taken at the Standing Maritime Committee meeting in March 2023.
The Namibian conference, Mathebula reported, achieved objectives as far as establishing working groups, finalising country pledges, logistics and exercise timelines, as well as the appointment of key exercise roles was concerned. Contributions from unnamed member countries will ensure “vessels, patrol boats, medical teams, personnel and communication systems” are available for the exercise. The Mathebula report gives no location or duration for the exercise which, given its riverine orientation, will not necessarily be in a coastal country.
Opening the Swakopmund planning conference, Rear Admiral (JG) Erastus Lazarus, Namibian Defence Force (NDF) Commander Naval Operations, emphasised global concern over the increase in maritime security threats and their potential to disrupt global trade.
“This regional maritime exercise is of paramount importance as it is aimed at enhancing regional maritime security in line with the SADC Integrated Maritime Security Strategy and in support of the African Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050,” he told conference delegates.
SADC has in its ranks four island countries, six with coastal boundaries and six landlocked countries.
