South African Development Community (SADC) to conclude 52nd Assembly
The 52nd South African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum Plenary Assembly will conclude today in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
The plenary assembly—whose function is being transformed into a regional parliament—advises the SADC’s governing summit and promotes its objectives. This year’s theme was “The Role of Parliaments In Strengthening Legislative Frameworks for Peace and Security in the SADC Region.”
Regional security has been an ongoing concern of the SADC, and one it has so far failed to successfully confront. While for much of 2021 it confronted an Islamic insurgency in member-state Mozambique—even authorizing a military intervention mandate—this year the SADC has also confronted escalating atrocities by the M23 rebel group in member-state Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Member-state Rwanda has been previously accused of funding the rebels.
As this year’s theme shows, the SADC sees the plenary assembly’s transition to a regional parliament as crucial to addressing regional security issues. Still, such hopes hinge on the expectation that a parliament better encourages cooperation — whereas it can just as easily foster more diverse dissent. Whether using the assembly to solve security issues proves successful remains to be seen. Regardless, it marks a new experiment in the SADC’s ongoing struggle to promote peace.
