Regional Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Cabo Delgado Crisis in Mozambique

Year 2025, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 121 - 139, 30.07.2025

Gokhan Kahraman

https://doi.org/10.58851/africania.1669054

Abstract

The regional security approach is gaining ground in regions where developed countries are located, as well as in underdeveloped and developing regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa In sub-Saharan Africa, it has been observed that countries in the region come together with a common security denominator and seek solutions to problems such as violence, rebellion and terrorism that have the potential to spill over into neighbouring countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, in addition to economic and financial reasons, the weakness of the regionalist idea, religious and ethnic differences, injustice in the distribution of income and the vastness of uncontrolled geographical areas between countries create the ground for violent incidents, rebel movements and terrorist activities. The crisis, which was particularly acute in the northern region of Mozambique, peaked with the discovery of new natural resources and the spread of the rebellion, with the rebels capturing the province of Cabo Delgado. The increase in terrorist incidents in the province of Cabo Delgado and the inability of the Mozambican government to solve the problem on its own has increased the perception of threat in the region. Regional security efforts have been made by countries in the region, particularly the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, to seek cooperation-based regional security. Within this framework, the study aims to examine how internal and external actors in the Sub-Saharan African region are developing a regional security approach to counter-terrorism and what kind of practices they are implementing. A qualitative method was adopted in the study and official statements of the Mozambique Government, documents, reports and news articles, official statements from international organizations and published reports were used. This study explains how SADC developed a regional security approach to the problem in Mozambique. It concluded that the SADC military unit deployed in Mozambique had put an end to terrorist incidents in northern Mozambique, but that the mission had failed to achieve its objectives due to insufficient financial support and military capacity, and that the organisations could fill the power vacuum created by the withdrawal of the SAMIM units.

Keywords

Regionalism , Terrorism , Mozambique , Sub-Saharan Africa , Cabo Delgado , SADC , SAMIM

SAHRAALTI AFRİKA'DA BÖLGESEL GÜVENLİK: MOZAMBİK'TE CABO DELGADO KRİZİ

Abstract

Bölgesel güvenlik yaklaşımı, gelişmiş ülkelerin bulunduğu coğrafyaların yanı sıra az gelişmiş ve gelişmekte olan Sahraaltı Afrika gibi bölgelerde de yaygınlaşmaktadır. Sahraaltı Afrika’da şiddet, isyan ve terör olayları gibi çevre ülkelere yayılma potansiyeli bulunan hususlarda bölge ülkelerinin ortak güvenlik paydasıyla bir araya geldiği ve sorunlara çözüm aradıkları görülmüştür. Sahraaltı Afrika’da ekonomik ve mali sebeplerin yanı sıra bölgeselcilik düşüncesinin zayıflığı, dini ve etnik farklılıklar, gelir dağılımındaki adaletsizlik ve ülkeler arasında denetimsiz coğrafi alanların genişliği şiddet olayları başta olmak üzere isyan hareketlerine ve terör faaliyetlerine zemin oluşturmaktadır. Özellikle Mozambik'in kuzey bölgesinde ortaya çıkan kriz, yeni yer altı kaynaklarının keşfedilmesi ve isyanın yayılması ile zirve yapmış ve isyancılar tarafından Cabo Delgado eyaleti ele geçirilmiştir. Cabo Delgado eyaletinde terör olaylarının artması ve Mozambik hükümetinin sorunu tek başına çözememesi bölgedeki tehdit algısı artırmıştır. Başta Güney Afrika Kalkınma Topluluğu (SADC) ülkeleri olmak üzere bölge ülkeleri tarafından işbirliğine dayalı bölgesel güvenlik arayışına gidilmiştir. Bu çerçevede konumlanan çalışma, Sahraaltı Afrika bölgesinde bölge içi ve dışı aktörlerin bölgede, teröre karşı nasıl bölgesel güvenlik anlayışı geliştirdikleri ve ne tür uygulamalar gerçekleştirdiklerinin incelenmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Çalışmada nitel bir metot benimsenerek başta Mozambik Hükümetinin resmi açıklamaları, belge, rapor ve haber makaleleri, uluslararası örgütlerden yapılan resmi açıklamalar ve yayımlanan raporlardan faydalanılmıştır. Bu çalışma ile SADC’in Mozambik’teki soruna karşı nasıl bir bölgesel güvenlik anlayışı geliştirdiği açıklanmaktadır. Mozambik’te konuşlanan SADC’in askeri birliğinin Mozambik’in kuzeyindeki terör olaylarını sona erdiğini ancak misyonun mali destek ve askeri kapasite yetersizliğinden dolayı istenilen hedeflere ulaşamadığı, SAMIM (Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique) Birliklerinin geri geçilmesi ile oluşan güç boşluğunu tekrar örgütlerin doldurabileceği sonucuna varılmıştır.

Keywords

Bölgesellik , Terörizm , Mozambik , Sahraaltı Afrika , Cabo Delgado , SADC , SAMIM

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