SADC Summit in Harare Criticized for Overlooking Political Repression

The recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Harare is likely to be perceived as promoting political repression rather than advancing democracy, particularly in Zimbabwe. During the summit, the ruling Zanu-PF government harshly suppressed political opponents to prevent protests. Similar actions were seen in Tanzania last week, where authorities detained members of the main opposition party, Chadema, ahead of their planned International Youth Day rally on August 12.
Despite democracy and human rights being core principles of the SADC Treaty, leaders at the summit did not confront Zimbabwe�s President Emmerson Mnangagwa over the repression in his country. Additionally, the summit failed to address the democratic shortcomings in Eswatini, where King Mswati III has delayed initiating a national dialogue following violent protests in 2021. The summit�s silence on these issues is likely to reinforce the impression that it supports political repression.