The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has described as «disturbing» the video showing alleged soldiers from its regional force deployed in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, burning corpses and has promised to take «action» once investigations into these events are completed.
Namibian President Hage Geingob, who heads the security body deployed by SADC in Cabo Delgado to combat jihadist violence, said that they have «taken note» of what happened and that the SADC mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) has already begun investigations.
«I wish to categorically stress that SADC does not condone the acts reflected in the video and, once investigations are completed, SADC will take appropriate action in accordance with international law in armed conflict,» Geingob stressed in a statement released via Twitter.
Despite the images, widely disseminated on social networks, Geingob wanted to value the «responsible and professional» way in which the SAMIM troops have performed throughout the conflict, stressing that they are «committed» in the fight against terrorism and violence in Cabo Delgado.
In recent days, a video has been circulating on social networks in which several South African soldiers, belonging to the forces deployed by the SADC, can be seen throwing a corpse into a pile of burning rubble. On Tuesday, South Africa condemned the incident and announced an investigation.
For its part, the NGO Amnesty International (AI) has assured that the images are a «horrible» sample of what is happening in this «forgotten war» that is taking place in this province located in the north of Mozambique.
«The burning of corpses by soldiers is deplorable and probably a violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the mutilation of corpses and requires that the dead be treated respectfully,» said Tigere Chagutah, one of the heads of AI for East and Southern Africa.
Chagutah called on SAMIM to launch a «prompt, thorough and independent» investigation into the video footage and take appropriate action against those who bear any responsibility for what happened.
«Security in Cabo Delgado should not be imposed at the cost of human rights violations,» Chagutah emphasized.
Cabo Delgado — a region rich in raw materials and important gas deposits — has been the scene since October 2017 of attacks by Islamist militiamen known as Al Shabaab, unrelated to the group of the same name operating in Somalia, which has ties to Al Qaeda. Since mid-2019 they have been mostly claimed by Islamic State in Central Africa (ISCA), which has stepped up its actions since March 2020.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
