Foreign Ministers from member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) gathered in Harare, Zimbabwe, for their 21st annual meeting, issuing a collective call for deeper regional co-operation to address mounting peace and security challenges across the continent.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of a volatile geopolitical and security environment marked by armed conflicts, political instability, electoral disputes, climate-induced insecurity, and irregular migration. Ministers reviewed recommendations from the Committee on Peace and Security, focusing heavily on persistent flashpoints including the humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), political consolidation in Ethiopia, Somalia’s security transition, and institutional divisions in Libya and Sudan.

According to COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, addressing these complex threats requires robust African ownership and the practical implementation of home-grown solutions:

“Our responsibility is to complement these efforts and to ensure African ownership through the practical implementation of the principle of African Solutions for African Problems.”

Echoing the call for unity, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira, whose country assumed the rotating chair of the ministerial meeting, stressed that lasting peace is an absolute prerequisite for regional trade, economic investment, and sustainable development.

During the sessions, delegates also examined the broader economic and strategic fallout from international conflicts, agreeing that member states must aggressively build greater structural resilience to insulate their economies from external shocks.

–ChannelAfrica–