The East African Legislative Assembly has rallied a call to Partner States to ratify the Protocol on Peace and Security in time to avoid an imminent delay of programmes and projects of the EAC. The Protocol signed in February last year has been undergoing ratification in the Partner States and the process needs to be completed by mid-February 2014.Addressing a capacity building workshop for EALA Members on the Peace and Security Architecture this morning, EALA Speaker, Rt. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa termed the Protocol a key tool in the peace and security agenda of the Community.
The Protocol touches inter alia on Conflict Prevention Management and Resolution, Prevention of genocide, combating terrorism, combating and suppression of Piracy and Peace and support operations.
So far, two Partner States – Uganda and Rwanda have appended their signatures to ratify the Protocol while the other three, Burundi, Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania are at various stages in the process of ratification.
The Speaker of EALA, rt. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa remarked that it was important to have interventions that are dynamic given the fluidity of peace and security operations in the region.“I am of the view that the Peace and Security Sector in the EAC should be dynamic in order to respond to the nature and form of the ever evolving security threats, crime types and trends owing to advancement in technology, information dissemination and globalization”, she said.
“I am hopeful that we shall continue to see enhancement in the security of the citizenry of the region, thus access benefits resulting from the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and ultimately, the East African Political Federation”, Rt. Hon Zziwa added.
The EAC Peace and Security Expert, Mr. Onyonyi said that the EAC had entered into regional co-operation arrangements with a number of groups including Interpol, International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Eastern, Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAALG) and the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) to deal with wide ranging matters including theft of motor vehicles, money laundering and small arms among others.
On women, peace and security, the EAC has put in place gender considerations in its interventions. Mr. Onyonyi remarked that a Peace and Security Organ, which is expected to be established at a later date would require an amendment to the Treaty for the Re-establishment of the Community.
“The Summit has directed the Secretariat to prepare a paper on how the Organ can be established and its operationalisation”, Mr. Onyonyi remarked. On South Sudan, the Speaker noted that noted that cessation of hostilities was only one step in the peace process.
“I had the privilege of meeting the Speaker of South Sudan last week immediately after the cessation of hostilities was signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is comforting to note that apart from sporadic fires reported, peace largely prevailed in South Sudan over the weekend. The cessation of hostilities allows the two sides to begin talking. It also allows the displaced civilians to have some peace, return home, treat their injured and forge some reconciliation,” she remarked.
In May, the EALA shall hold a Peace and Security Conference in Arusha according to the Chairman of the Committee on Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution.
