The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Republic of Mozambique (SAMIM) has started to implement Peacebuilding Support initiatives in Cabo Delgado Province, in the northern part of the country.

The SADC Peacebuilding Support Program aims to improve social protection mechanisms, law and order, humanitarian assistance, and capacity building initiatives in Cabo Delgado Province, which has been under attack from terrorists and violent extremists.

The Peacebuilding Support Program, among others, will improve the capacity building of police and correctional services; and skill development programs for youth and women for their social development.

The program is funded by the European Union (EU) under the African Union Commission's Early Response Mechanism in support of the Republic of Mozambique. It is being implemented under the Early Response Mechanism (ERM) of the African Peace Facility.

The initiative seeks to pacify the security situation in Cabo Delgado, which remains relatively calm, but unpredictable due to the threat posed by terrorist activities.

The SADC Peacebuilding Support to the Republic of Mozambique follows the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held on June 23, 2021, which approved a mandate to deploy the SADC Reserve Force Rapid Deployment Capability in the province. Following the SAMIM deployment and relative peace in Cabo Delgado, there are now several initiatives being carried out through the peacebuilding support program.

The initiatives foresee multidimensional humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping, which implies, among others, the involvement of civilians to undertake confidence building measures/programs to address mistrust within communities. This will create cohesion to facilitate synergies that will promote peace and security and sustain socio-economic development in Cabo Delgado Province.

At the national level, the Government of the Republic of Mozambique has developed the Cabo Delgado Recovery Plan (PRCD) in areas affected by terrorists. The Plan is organized into three pillars, namely: Humanitarian Assistance; Infrastructure Recovery; and Economic and Financial Activity. The Reconstruction Plan in Cabo Delgado requires an estimated budget of $300 million, of which $100 million has been secured.

SADC's efforts to build the capacity of the civil police and correctional services; hold dialogues with civil leaders to build trust among community members; and youth and women empowerment initiatives to address grievances related to lack of opportunities, resonate with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique, SADC, and AU measures for conflict prevention and resolution.

SADC Peacebuilding Support to the Republic of Mozambique provides support in collaboration with humanitarian agencies to continue providing humanitarian aid/assistance to the population affected by terrorism, including the coordination mechanisms for Internally Displaced Persons.

The peace-building support initiative will integrate in all its activities cross-cutting issues such as the promotion of human rights, gender equality, democracy, good governance, children's rights, indigenous peoples' rights, and environmental sustainability.

These issues are integral to the three focus areas proposed for the initiative, namely: capacity building of the Police and Correctional Services as law enforcement institutions; women and youth empowerment programs to address gender equality and gender mainstreaming; and dialogue with civic leaders tailored to good governance, the rule of law, and women's participation in decision making.

Capacity building of police and correctional services addresses human rights issues and the observance of the rule of law when dealing with, among others, native peoples at the grassroots level within communities, those suspected of terrorism, including children recruited by insurgents.

As a result, the Correctional Services will adhere to the human rights of persons arrested for terrorism. Police and Correctional Services officers from five districts in Cabo Delgado will undergo train-the-trainer programs in order to ultimately train the rest of the officers in knowledge and skills related to, among others, law enforcement/law enforcement, human rights, and community policing.

Youth capacity building includes skills training programs that take care of environmental restoration and preservation, such as afforestation and agriculture for environmental sustainability. Youth and women will undergo knowledge and skills training in order to build capacity in various development projects that could be undertaken to sustain themselves.