LILONGWE, Malawi 

Malawi and Mozambique signed an agreement Thursday that enables the two countries to carry out joint military exercises and patrols.

The move, aimed at combatting cross-border drug and human trafficking, was hailed by civil society organizations as a “giant leap.”

Monica Ching’anamuno, Malawi’s minister of defense, and her Mozambican counterpart Cristovao Chume signed the joint agreement in Mozambique’s capital Maputo during the 16th session of the Mozambique-Malawi Permanent Joint Commission on Defense and Security (CCPDS), which was approved by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as an integrated plan aimed at strengthening defense and security in southern Africa and combating cross-border crime.

During the signing ceremony, both countries attributed poverty and desperation for economic needs to the rise in human trafficking in both countries.

“This agreement will therefore ensure that both countries are able to fight human trafficking and other crimes with tenacity using existing pieces of legislation,” said Ching’anamuno.

Rodrick Mulonya, chairperson of the Malawi Network Against Trafficking in Persons, told Anadolu that despite efforts to fight the vice in the country, the situation has reached “alarming levels.”

“This agreement is therefore a giant leap in the fight against human trafficking. But there is a need for concerted efforts for us to win the fight. There is a need for closer collaboration between these two countries and indeed among all other countries in the SADC region for this fight to be won. We need to enforce a multi-sectoral approach,” he said.

Mulonya said poverty and pressing economic needs have created a “fertile ground” for the situation to worsen in the southern African nation.

“Desperate people are being lured by false promises for a better life, which in the end turn out to be not real,” he added.

According to Africa Legal Aid, all SADC member states have enacted anti-trafficking laws. But the organization notes that despite these efforts, human trafficking continues to occur in the region due to poverty and limited access to the implementation of effective strategies.​​​​​​​