Malawi and Mozambique have agreed to broaden their security cooperation beyond traditional law enforcement to include economic security, climate-related threats, protection of investments, cyber security and management of shared natural resources.
The two countries say the expanded cooperation will help address emerging threats while creating a safer environment for trade, investment and economic development.
They have also agreed to strengthen joint border surveillance and patrols, modernise intelligence sharing and intensify cooperation against terrorism, human trafficking, smuggling and illegal immigration.
The agreements were announced by Mozambique’s Minister of Interior Paulo Chachine yesterday in Blantyre at the close of the 17th Session of the Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security.
He said the two countries agreed to modernise mechanisms for sharing information and criminal intelligence through new technologies and online monitoring systems to prevent and neutralise transnational criminal networks.
“We have also consolidated strategies to combat terrorism and radicalisation, ensuring that Mozambican territory is not used as a logistical corridor, recruitment base or refuge for groups threatening democratic governance and human dignity,” said Chachine.
At their previous meeting, held in Maputo in 2025, the two countries also agreed to strengthen security cooperation through joint patrols, military exercises, enhanced border surveillance and tighter migration controls, among other measures.
However, security challenges persist along the two countries’ shared border, particularly the insurgency in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province, which is relatively close to Malawi’s Makanjira area in Mangochi District.
The conflict presents a potential security threat to Malawi, making stronger cooperation and effective border surveillance important.
During the opening of the meeting, Mozambique’s Deputy Commander General of Police Aquilasse Kapangula Manda outlined the security situation in his country, citing terrorism and insurgency, organised cross-border crime, human trafficking and weaknesses in border control.
He also reported that insurgent activity in northern Mozambique had spread towards Niassa Province, raising security concerns along the country’s borders with neighbouring States, including Malawi.
Manda said security incidents in Mozambique’s northern provinces of Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Nampula increased by 28 percent between the first and third quarters of 2026, rising from 192 in the first quarter to 213 in the second and 245 in the third.
Malawi has also faced challenges relating to the movement of illegal firearms in the region and their potential to fuel violent crime.
Chachine urged military commanders, police, immigration and intelligence officials, customs authorities and other relevant institutions in both countries to ensure that the resolutions adopted at the meeting were implemented.
The Malawi–Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security is a longstanding bilateral mechanism through which the two countries discuss security challenges and strengthen cooperation.
The 18th session of the commission is scheduled to take place in Mozambique next year.
Malawi also maintains similar bilateral security cooperation arrangements with Zambia and Tanzania.
The next meeting of the joint security commission between Malawi and Zambia is expected to take place in Zambia later this year according to the Ministry of Defence.
These arrangements provide platforms for neighbouring countries to review existing security commitments, address emerging threats and coordinate responses to cross-border crime.
On his part, Malawi’s Defence Minister Feston Kaupa said the expanded cooperation was important because security threats were no longer limited to traditional law enforcement challenges.
He said climate change, resource scarcity, displacement and extreme weather events were also creating new security risks that required joint responses.
“The cooperation was also necessary to protect investments, secure trade routes, prevent smuggling and address criminal activities that undermine economic development,” he said.
