“The recent military interventions by SADC member states in the DRC and Lesotho are a
serious cause for concern. The governments of SADC member states have sent a message
to the world that Africans prefer different, more brutal methods for dealing collectively with conflict than those accepted by the UN. Another worrisome aspect for the leadership of both South Africa and Zimbabwe is that the constitutionality of their respective military interventions has been called into question by the citizenry.In both countries, the constitution allows for foreign military intervention only to satisfy an international obligation. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to revisit the processes and events leading up to the current state of confusion, in an attempt to determine what SADC is and is not, and what should or should not be done under its auspices in the name of peace and security.”
