South African Major General Patrick Dube is the new commander of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), which has been fighting Islamic terrorists in the northern province of Cabo Delgado since 2021.

According to AIMPatrick Dube is the second South African to head the force. The first was Major General Monwabisi Dyakopu, who, like Dube, had successful missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the MONUSCO Force Intervention Brigade (FIB).

The SAMIM force was last year under the leadership of an interim commander, Botswana Defense Forces Brigadier General Gaboratanelwe Tshweneetsile.

According to the South African platform DefenceWebDube is probably the last commander of the SAMIM force before its withdrawal from Mozambique, scheduled for July.

Addressing the officers attached to the South African SAMIM contingent and others at the SAMIM Force Headquarters in Cabo Delgado's capital, Pemba, Patrick Dube emphasized his commitment to the mission's strategic objectives, stating that "I would hate it if I made enemies here, except if they are the ones we are looking for outside, who are causing problems for the people of Mozambique and the people of SADC".

Nevertheless, the new leader acknowledged the responsibilities assumed by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) when deployed "outside South Africa, stating that the force was a symbol of national power and that South Africa, as a signatory to any international agreements, is obliged to play a role".

South Africa, along with Angola, Botswana, the DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia are the troop-contributing countries (TCCs) to SAMIM. The withdrawal in July 2024 is in line with a directive from the regional bloc's Troika Summit, which instructed SAMIM's leadership to begin a phased withdrawal in December 2023, before the full withdrawal in July.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), terrorism in Cabo Delgado has caused around 4,000 deaths and contributed to the displacement of one million people.