JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Southern African countries will continue to act together to fight against terrorist groups destabilizing Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa made the remarks in South Africa's Mbuzini area, which is near the border with Mozambique, while commemorating the death of Mozambique's former President Samora Machel and 34 others who died in a plane crash in Mbuzini on Oct. 19, 1986 when returning home from a summit in Zambia.
The plane crash was allegedly caused by South Africa's then apartheid administration because of Machel's support for liberation in South Africa at the time.
The people of Southern Africa have decided collectively to act in solidarity to help the people of Mozambique to push out and fight the insurgents who have been spreading conflict, insecurity and violence, Ramaphosa said.
They will keep Machel's legacy alive by maintaining peace in the region, he added.
The gas-rich Cabo Delgado province has been plagued by terrorism since 2017, leading to thousands of deaths and the displacement of some 800,000 people.
Southern African Development Community (SADC) deployed a standby force to Mozambique in July to combat terrorism and violent extremism in Cabo Delgado. Enditem
