Transcript STATUS OF SECURITY IN THE EAC REGION

STATUS OF SECURITY IN THE EAC
REGION
BY
ADAMS OLOO
INTRODUCTION
• The partner states of the East African
Community are officially Tanzania, Kenya,
Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi
• For this presentation however we include
Sothern Sudan, Somalia and parts of the Great
lakes region countries as well as Horn of Africa
countries as the goings therein have a bearing
on the security of the East African Community
partner states
• The states of the East African region are
characterized by both similarities and differences
in political, economic and social systems
• These similarities and differences have a bearing
on the security challenges that face the region
• The challenges are both traditional reflecting the
Cold war scenario as well as contemporary
reflecting the post- Cold War period
• While the traditional security challenges
revolved around border disputes, inter-state
conflicts as well as Cold War inspired conflictsthe emerging security challenges encompass
both the traditional security challenges as well
as human security challenges
• The EAC region is confronted by different
conflict systems that affect the EAC states
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These are;
The Horn of Africa conflict system
The Great Lakes Conflict system
The East African Community states conflict
system
• Against this background, my presentation
focusses on the contemporary security
challenges that have an ingredient of the
traditional security challenges but that are
• More tilted toward the more germane human
security dimension
• I conclude by examining the emerging
responses and the challenges therein that
need to be addressed in order to attain a
lasting peace in the region
CONTEMPORARY SECURITY
CHALLENGES IN THE EAC REGION
• From Cold-War border disputes, ideologically
inspired great power conflicts, inter-state and
intra-state conflicts of the period
INTRA-STATE CONFLICTS
• Somalia since 1991-devasting for both
national and regional security and has become
a safe haven for international terrorism
• Kenya-since return to multi-partyism in 1992ethnic violence in electoral years coupled with
rise of criminal gangs-Mungiki, SLDF, MRC,
numerous militias
• Uganda-rebels in the north
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Rwanda-Genocide and the after effect
Burundi-Ethnic rivalries
South Sudan – Ethnic and Leadership rivalries
Failed states and ungoverned spaces-including
regional insecurity and conflicts stemming
from failed states in the region, poorly
governed regions and borderlands and
countries in transition over central
government authority
• In general conflicts emanating from ethnicity,
clannism, irridentism and seccesionism
RESOURCE BASED CONFLICTS
• Scarcity and contestation over shared
resources
• Crossborder and regional landuse conflicts
including land tenure and property rights,
landuse conflicts, migration/settlement issues
and legal crossborder disputes over contested
regions
• Regional and transboundary water conflicts to
include issues of pastoral and ethnic conflicts
• Over water, climate change impacts, access and
water rights, fishery disputes, interstate disputes
over water resources and regional management
of trans-boundary water access
• Regional and mineral resource conflict and proxy
wars that includes a wide range of issues linked to
the illicit mining and trade of high valued
minerals in the Great Lakes area, government
collusion and corruption and the impact of armed
movements from the DRC sub-region
TERRORISM
• Terrorism manifests itself in the region in
three forms
• First, is domestic/local terrorism organized
mainly by local groups without external or
regional connection
• Second, is domestic/local terrorism with
regional connection
• Third is terrorism organized by global actors
with regional and local support
• Uganda and Sudan have been victims of the
first two while Kenya and Somalia have
experienced all three forms
MARITIME SECURITY/PIRACY
• Maritime security is of major concern i.e in
the waters of the indian ocean, lake victoria
and lake turkana
• Indian Ocean – Piracy, drug trafficking
• Lake Victoria-drug trafficking, armed attacks
and smuggling
• Lake Turkana – Violent banditry activities
ORGANIZED CRIME
• Criminal groups organized and structured for
purposes of committing serious crimes for
profit
• These encompass trafficking in small arms and
light weapons, drugs, human beings, cyber
crimes and money laundering
BETWEEN NATIONAL AND REGIONAL
SECURITY RESPONSE
• In East Africa as elsewhere there is a change of
focus from traditional referent security objects
of the state to the broadened human security
perspectives that is characteristic of the post
Cold War period
• Some aspects of Security Strategy and
Securitization remain ensconsced in the
“traditional” frame i.e National Interest
• Arising from the above teething disconnects
between national and regional responses to
the aforementioned security challenges
CONCERNS TO BE TACKLED
• First, lack of a clear regional hegemon to
provide leadership in the securitizing process
in the region. This leads to disunity in the
approaches taken by each state in addressing
security issues beyond their borders some of
which directly affect the partner states and
their neighbours
• Second, lack of a concrete and clear
appreciation of a shared understanding about
what constitutes common threats to their
survival as a region for which there is need to
device viable security strategies to address
• Third, all efforts should be taken to avoid a
tendency by which partner states import their
local/national security concerns to the EAC
and attempt to impose/pass them as regional
threats.
• Fourth, mistrust and suspicion between
partner states should be curtailed as this can
contribute to the lack of progress in
implementing a regional security strategy
• Fifth it is glaringly evident that partner states
engage in heavy funding of their respective
national security sectors which is not
replicated at the regional level and thus the
fledgling regional security response
• Sixth, the partner states appear to lay
emphasis on economics as opposed to
security yet an integration pegged on the
security premise is likely to be more profound
than one on economics. The dedication and
resources committed to the customs union
and common market is more overwhelming
maybe due to them as stages of the treaty
while peace and security that would come
after the political federation looks afar.
CONCLUSION
• A number of issues for thought going forward
• Secrecy and Mistrust must be addressed
• Co-ordination of regional security-the weakest
link
• How do you construct common threats at the
national level
• Dependency on donor funding at the regional
level- Lack of commitment, interest or what?