The poll found 89 percent of Somalis believe USC Militia represents the
biggest obstacle to region and Somalia peace. An
IGAD2020 International Council spokesperson denied
the decision to not publish some of the results
until next Month was politically motivated,
explaining that the results withheld were still
"unstable."
By
KEN RAMANI
The
Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa are
currently the most volatile parts of the
continent. Although Somalia’s delegates to the
peace process hosted in Kenya last November
elected a transitional government, the recent
happenings in their capital, Mogadishu, are
discouraging.
The
Ahmed Yusuf government is preparing to relocate
from Nairobi next month but there are fears that
the conflict in his country will break out
afresh.
The
relationship between Rwanda and Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) are also not rosy.
Recently
Rwanda was embroiled in a diplomatic wrangle
with Kinshasa when Rwandan forces entered
eastern DRC to flush out the Interahamwe
militia.
The
militia largely blamed for the 1994 genocide in
Rwanda, has active shells in eastern DRC but due
to internal conflicts, Kinshasa has not been
able to deal with them.
Uganda
has also been fighting the Lord’s Resistance
Army who operate mostly from southern Sudan.
Chad
has also suffered the consequences of the war in
Sudan’s Darfur region. It’s currently
hosting more than 500,000 refugees from the
region.
Whenever
there’s an armed conflict, neighbouring
countries suffer the brunt of the skirmishes and
are forced to accommodate refugees who sometimes
flee with weapons that criminal gangs buy
cheaply.
The
refugees also pose environmental and health
concerns as they settle in areas without basic
amenities.
To
ensure the region attains lasting peace, last
November eleven countries came together in Dar
es Salaam, Tanzania and formed the International
Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR.)
The
event was organised under the aegis of the
United Nations and the African Union.
The
member states included Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda,
Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the
Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi,
Central Africa Republic and Zambia.
The
Heads of State of these countries agreed, among
others to:
Fully
support the national peace processes in the
region and refrain from any acts, statements or
attitudes likely to negatively impact them.
They
will also strengthen bilateral and regional
cooperation, through the adoption and effective
implementation of non- aggression and common
defense pacts.
They
agreed to harmonise and implement existing
agreements and mechanisms to reduce the chances
of small arms getting to wrong hands.
The
group will also tackle the issue of
discrimination against women, particularly at
decision making in the area of peace and
security, democracy and political, economic and
social governance.
Women
and children suffer the most from the brunt of
conflicts and their input in conflict resolution
cannot be ignored, they said.
The
first meeting of the Regional Inter-Ministerial
Committee (RIMC) of the International Conference
on the Great Lakes Region begins tomorrow in
Kigali, Rwanda.
This
will be the first in a series of follow-up
meetings of RIMC before the second Summit of
Heads of State to be held in Kenya later in the
year.
The
group was charged with preparing selected
protocols and programmes of action together with
specific, short and long - term but achievable
objectives.
The
committee will serve as the policy-making body
for the entire process. It’s composed of
foreign affairs ministers of the eleven core
countries of ICGLR.
The
committee will among other things review the
various terms of reference of the draft proposed
protocols and programme of action on four
themes, that’s peace and security, democracy
and good governance, economic development and
regional integration and humanitarian and social
issues.
The
United Nations Security Council had called for
such a conference on various occasions, starting
in 1994, following the Rwandan Genocide that
claimed over 1 million lives.
It
was recognised that the people of the Great
Lakes region are inter-linked socially,
economically, culturally and linguistically that
instability in one country could quickly spread
to the entire region.
It
was then argued that solutions to conflicts and
instability in each of the countries could be
effectively addressed within a regional
framework.
In
order to take the first concrete steps towards
organising the conference. The UN
Secretary-General, Kofi Annan asked his Special
Envoys in the region in 1996 and 1997 to explore
the possibility of convening an international
conference on peace, security and development in
the region.
The
member states are expected to reach an agreement
on a set of principles such as good-neighbourly
relations, stability, peace and development, as
well as to articulate and launch selected
programmes of action to end the cycle of
conflicts in the region.
They
will also ensure durable peace, stability,
security, democracy and development in this
region.
It’s also expected to
establish a regional framework on peace and
security, democracy and good governance.
The Current Regional
Security Satiation of the Horn of Africa Update
Djibouti (HAN) Feb 18, 2005 -The Chief of the General Staff General Joseph Kibwana (right) escorts Adam Ingram, UK Minister for Armed Forces who opened the newly constructed International Mine Action Training Centre at Embakasi in Nairobi
.
Nairobi, Kenya.
The International Mine Action Training Centre (IMATC), which was officially opened by the British minister for Armed Forces, Mr Adam Ingram, will train soldiers in the Eastern African region to clear mines in war-torn countries in the region.
He said Kenya was an ideal location for the centre because the country was stable and had successfully brokered peace in other neighbouring nations.
"Our main focus is Sudan and Eritrea but will also consider other countries," he said.
Britain has taken an active role in Africa since it assumed the Presidency of the G8 nations last month and is expected to assume the European Union (EU) one in July this year.
"Africa is the declared focus for both UK presidencies, as determined by the Prime Minister Tony Blair. The aim of our presidencies will be to gain increased international support for the African Peace and Security Agenda as a whole," he added.
The Kenyan assistant minister for provincial Administration, Mr Mirugi Kariuki, military representatives from Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, among others countries attended the ceremony.
Mogadishu, Somalia
A bomb exploded in the Somali capital, where an African Union delegation is visiting to assess security for the deployment of peacekeepers. Officials say at least two people were killed and five wounded. While authorities investigate whether the attack targeted the AU delegation, the government of Somalia says it is still determined to relocate to Mogadishu from its temporary headquarters in Kenya.
The spokesman for Somalia's Council of Ministers, Mohamud Jama, told VOA Thursday's bomb attack in Mogadishu will not deter the government from setting up offices there.
"The very reason we should go back to Mogadishu is to re-establish law and order," he said. "If we do not go there, who will establish law and order?"
The President has lived in exile in Kenya
since he was elected last year, but despite
calls for war from militia leaders and with
little foreign aide or military support Mr Yusuf
is making bold claims of returning to his
anarchic country within weeks. His Government is
scheduled to begin the return to Mogadishu on
Monday.
Ethiopia Famine and
National security:
Despite millions of dollars that poured into
Ethiopia from the 1984 Band Aid record and 1985
Live Aid concerts, huge international debts
meant millions of people were short of food and
had no access to even basic healthcare and
education.
"Ethiopia needs justice not
charity," said Patrick Nicholson, author of
a new CAFOD report "The Long Wait. Ethiopia
and the Millennium Development Goals."
"Twenty years and millions of dollars in
emergency aid may have saved countless lives,
but have done little to address the root causes
of poverty," he added.
Experts estimate that close to one million
Ethiopians starved to death during the
drought-induced famine of 1984.
"Emergency food aid, often in the form
of subsidized grain, has kept millions of
Ethiopians on a drip feed without providing them
with the means to work themselves out of
poverty," Nicholson said.
CAFOD is part of the Make Poverty History
campaign that is trying to use Britain's
chairmanship this year of the group of eight
rich nations to force them to cancel all poor
country debt, pump up aid and make world trade
rules fairer.
The report said despite some debt relief last
April, Ethiopia -- one of the world's poorest
countries -- would still be paying far more in
debt repayments every year than it does on
healthcare.
At the same time, life expectancy is seen
plummeting to just 28 years from an already low
44 over the next five years due to HIV/AIDS.
Most countries in Africa are expected to miss
the key Millennium Development Goals of halving
poverty by 2015 and making access to clean
water, sanitation, healthcare and education
universally available.
Eritrea and Ethiopian
Border:
The European Union (EU)
has expressed Monday its concern over the
recently reported military build-up near the
Ethio-Eritrea border.
"EU is particularly
concerned about the recent military build-up on
both sides of the border. Sustainable peace
between the two countries is fundamental for
national development and for the enhancement of
peace and security in the region," EU said
EU, in its statement that
was presented at the Annual Progress Report of
Ethiopia's development also urged the two
countries to refrain from any action that could
lead to a resumption of hostilities.
"EU would like to
reiterate its firm commitment to assist Ethiopia
and Eritrea in finding a way forward to
implementing the decision of the Boundary
Commission. The EU acknowledges Ethiopia's
government commitment to hold federal elections
in May in a free and fair manner and in
accordance with international standards,"
Rob Vermass, the Netherlands Ambassador to
Ethiopia, representing the EU said.
"We expect the
international observers to have full access to
all relevant elements of the electoral process.
For fair and transparent elections, the ensuring
of transparency and building of confidence in
the National Electoral Board is crucial, as well
as ensuring a level playing field, including
full access to media, for all political parties
concerned."
EU has welcomed Ethiopia's
five point peace proposal presented by the Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi in November last year to
end border row with Eritrea.
