Zimbabweans’ hope fades as SADC promises internal solution to political crisis facing Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Swaziland

Harare – A wave of disappointment has washed over Zimbabwe as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit concluded, leaving many questioning whether the regional bloc will truly address the escalating political crises in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Eswatini.

While the summit acknowledged the challenges facing these nations, the promise of an “internal solution” has left many feeling that their hopes for meaningful change are fading.

Zimbabwe, in particular, has been grappling with a severe crackdown on dissent, with over 165 political opponents arrested, detained, and allegedly tortured.

The crackdown, according to opposition stalwart David Coltart, the mayor of Bulawayo, is a clear case of “preventative detention,” aimed at silencing dissent ahead of the summit.

“The oppositionists will be released after the summit,” Coltart predicted, highlighting the government’s blatant disregard for fundamental rights.

The crackdown in Zimbabwe echoes a similar pattern in Tanzania, where the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party suppressed opposition demonstrations, detaining hundreds of members of the main opposition Chadema party in Mbeya to prevent a rally celebrating International Youth Day.

Despite these worrying trends, the SADC summit seemed to offer little hope for meaningful change. The leaders, while acknowledging the democratic deficits in Eswatini, where violent protests against King Mswati III’s absolute monarchy continue, have failed to take concrete action. Despite promises of national dialogue, no progress has been made, and Eswatini has seemingly slipped off the SADC’s agenda.

“The challenge of political repression in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Eswatini and elsewhere will be, in the main, sidestepped,” warned Piers Pigou, head of SADC research at the Institute for Security Studies.

“These issues may well be flagged in some internal discussions, but they are not in the formal SADC agenda and there [are] no ostensible remedial channels in SADC to address them.”

Pigou’s assessment highlights a troubling pattern within the SADC: a reluctance to intervene in the internal affairs of member states, even when fundamental rights are being violated. The SADC’s commitment to the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention often overshadows its responsibility to uphold human rights and democracy.

The summit did address two pressing regional security issues: the ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the insurgency in northern Mozambique. The SADC deployed a military force, SAMIDRC, to the DRC in December, aiming to neutralize armed rebel groups, particularly the M23, which is backed by Rwanda.

While the SAMIDRC has been credited with facilitating a ceasefire between the DRC and Rwanda, analysts have questioned its effectiveness in suppressing the M23, highlighting the lack of adequate weaponry to counter Rwandan support for the rebel group.

The SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), deployed to combat the Islamist insurgents in Cabo Delgado, has also come under scrutiny. Despite declaring “mission accomplished” and withdrawing from Mozambique in July, the ASWJ remains a threat, albeit weakened. The SADC has effectively left the fight to the Rwandan army, which has been deployed in the region since July 2021.

“The SAMIM’s withdrawal reflects a political and diplomatic failure for the region,” Pigou and independent analyst Jasmine Opperman wrote in May. “The SAMIM didn’t achieve a battlefield victory.”

The SADC Summit in Harare has exposed a contrast between the regional bloc’s commitment to regional security and its apparent indifference to the erosion of democratic principles and human rights within its own member states.