Angola transfers SAPMIL presidency to Zambia

Maseru, ANGOLA, September 20 - The Republic of Zambia will take over the leadership of the Southern Africa Development Community's Prevention Mission to the Kingdom of Lesotho (SAPMIL), replacing Angola.,

For the transfer of the head of the mission, the Minister of National Defense, Salviano de Jesus Sequeira, arrived on Thursday in Maseru, capital of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

The minister, who is accompanied by the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) Secretary of State for the Prison Service, Bamoquina Zau, and senior representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will begin the operation of "disengagement" of the military, police, civilian and intelligence specialists from Angola.

Salviano Sequeira will join his Zambian counterpart, David Chama.

During his stay, the Angolan official will meet with the Lesotho Ministers of International Relations and Defense and visit the SAPMIL barracks camps, whose term ends on 20 November.

On Wednesday, the Republic of Angola transferred to the Republic of Zambia the chair of the SADC Supervisory Committee for the Kingdom of Lesotho.

The ceremony was witnessed by the director of the Policy, Defense and Security Organ  of SADC, Jorge Cardoso, representing the executive secretary, Stergomena L. Tax.

This committee was chaired by the Angolan ambassador Matias Bertino Matondo and now will coordinated by Zambian Judge Matthews Ngulube.

Angola chaired the SADC Prevention Mission to the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Oversight Committee under the rotating chair of the Policy, Defense and Security Organ of the regional organization.

The mandate ended last August during the 38th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the community held in Windhoek, Namibia.   The Kingdom of Lesotho is experiencing a protracted political crisis characterized by coups and attempted coups d'état, as well as declining governments and early elections.

Ttwo chiefs of his armed forces were murdered in 2015 and 2017.

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