International Journal Of Humanities Education And Social Sciences (IJHESS) E-ISSN: 2808-1765 Volume 2, Number 6, June 2023, Page. 1790 - 1797 Email : editorijhess@gmail.com 1790 https://ijhess.com/index.php/ijhess/ Southern African Development Community application of Collective Security Against Al Sunnah Terrorists in Mozambique (2015 - 2021) Willie Mandigo 1) , Makarim Wibisono 2) & Budi Pramono 3) Defense Diplomacy, Strategic Studies, Universitas Pertahanan RI *Corresponding Author Email: mandigow93@gmail.com Abstract Beginning on October 5, 2017, Al Sunnah militants in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique violently attacked security personnel, governmental buildings, and the civilian public and by 2020 the terrorists had killed more than 3,000 people and driven almost 800,000 people from their homes. The terrorists were also starting to spill over into neighboring nations creating a regional security threat. The Mozambique security forces reacted to the situation without success as the reaction force was underequipped and lacked the necessary skills. As the situation further worsened, Mozambique requested the Southern African Development Community for assistance on the basis of the group’s collective security provisions. This culminated in the deployment of the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM). This study aims at evaluating the collective defense capacity-building initiatives adopted by SADC to assist Mozambique. The study uses a qualitative approach with data gathered through document analysis and interviews of 15 purposely selected informants comprised of military officers directly involved in the conflict, academics and key politicians. Collective security initiatives adopted by SADC include diplomatic involvement, training, offensive military operations, the provision of military gear, guidance, funding, consulting services, and intelligence services. The outcomes show that, despite certain difficulties, the collective initiatives by SADC member states were sufficient to achieve the desired end state of neutralizing the Al Sunnah terrorists and restoring peace and security to Cabo Delgado Province. Keywords: Collective Security, Defence Capacity Building, Terrorism INTRODUCTION Rosario et al. (2021) claim that Mozambique's rebel problem has developed over many years, at least since the country's independence in 1975. Cabo Delgado Province, while having abundant natural resources, is nevertheless one of the least developed provinces in the nation and has a sizable underground economy. This was partly a result of the government of Mozambique being sidetracked by a protracted civil conflict and exploitative public policies which exploited the province’s resources to develop other provinces. Efforts by local leadership to engage the central government proved futile and this led to frustration and heightened public discontent. As a result, the terrorist organization Ansar al-Sunnah was founded in 2007 to oppose the province's economic marginalization and over time, it grew bigger and more aggressive with the intention of establishing an independent Islamic State in Mozambique. The Ansar al-Sunnah terrorists began carrying out brutal attacks on security personnel, government buildings, and the general public on October 5, 2017. Attacks on police stations, the theft of weapons, gruesome executions, and the seizure of the town of Mocimboa da Praia are a few of these (Daily Maverick, October 27, 2017). By 2020, the terrorists had killed more than 3,000 people, driven almost 800,000 people from their homes to seek refuge in other provinces or across the borders into neighboring Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Businesses in the area were forced to shut down, and a $20 billion Total LNG project was suspended indefinitely and this had a negative impact on the national economy (Akinola Olojo, and Phoebe Donnelly: May 12, 2021).