The president of the Supreme Court, Adelino Muchanga, defended new ways for the judiciary to act against terrorism in southern Africa, pointing out that this type of crime is a direct threat to societies and states.

"The new ways in which terrorism operates also impose on the judiciary new ways of acting to combat the phenomenon," Muchanga said, speaking at the opening of the Conference and Annual Meeting of the Forum of Presidents of the Supreme Courts of the Southern African Community of Countries (SACD) on Monday.

The official argued that the judicial apparatus and the countries of southern Africa must overcome the weaknesses that favor the growth of the terrorist threat in the sub-region of the African continent.

"It is important to eliminate the facilities that allow the emergence, development and spread of this phenomenon," he emphasized, warning that the lack of "integrated action will always leave room for the emergence and even resurgence of terrorism."

Adelino Muchanga noted that that type of criminality constitutes a direct threat to life, society, and the maintenance of the Democratic Rule of Law in SADC.

Mozambique, in particular, has been plagued since 2017 by the actions of armed groups in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, described by local authorities and international entities as terrorism.

The insurgency led to a military response a year ago with support from Rwanda and SADC, liberating districts near gas projects, but new waves of violence have erupted in the south of the region and in neighboring Nampula province.

In five years, the conflict has made one million displaced people, according to the UNHCR, and about 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project. (Lusa)