Opinion
East Africa: EAC's Development May Be Threatened By Somalia's War
By
Jun 8, 2009 - 2:29:48 PM

by Bobi Odiko**

For a moment, as East Africans, we should all focus our attention eastwards to Somalia - a potential threat to the region if not carefully handled.

Somalia, a failed state in every sense of the word, is beset on domestic terrorism with significant impact on the nation's stability, development and resulting in devastating loss of life, violation of human rights and lawlessness. So gross is the situation that its economy also remains in tatters.

And now, Somalia has perfected the art of international terrorism. It contributes to making the deaths in the continent resultant from terrorism, the second highest after Asia, according to analysts well versed in international terrorism matters.

The region is getting concerned about the happenings in the neighbouring country. The economic prosperity of the east African Community (EAC) could also in the long run be threatened by the never-ending war as the leadership in Mogadishu continues to tread on shaky ground with renewed rivalry and insurgency.

Somehow, the EAC still is and remains susceptible. The twin attacks some years ago on the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam continue to be fresh in the minds of many, as is the bombing of Paradise Hotel in Kikambala off Kenya's coast.

In all cases, citizens of the region lost their lives while others were maimed. The devastating bombings were actually traced to radicals who entered the country via Somalia. The Al Shabab group is yet to deny its presumed linkages with Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network. A number of bomb scares still threaten the capitals in the region.

As recently as two weeks ago, the Norwegian embassy in Nairobi received a threat, although the security apparatus in the country later dismissed it as a hoax.

It is somewhat comforting that the EAC and its partner states have lately taken some action on the matter.

In the strongest message yet on the revolution, Kenya is understood to have undertaken to help end the insurgency between the beleaguered Transitional Federal Government of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed Sharif and the Al Shabab militia and Islamist groups, led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.

Uganda and Burundi on their part sent a retinue of their armies to make the peace keeping force in Somalia. In fact, President Yoweri Museveni has referred to the happenings in Somalia as a 'slow genocide' for lack of any soothing descriptive words. There is no better expression for the same in my view.

The EAC is also speedily working to put out the Protocol on Peace and Security. It is hoped that once in place, the architecture shall guide the region in dealing with and combating terrorism. Further afield, the African Union is also pursuing the counter-terrorism strategy with a lot of vigour.

Ideally, we must never sit on our laurels. The safety of the over one hundred million inhabitants of the region comes first. Peace must be guaranteed in the region at all times as well.

Generally, the region must find ways and means of encouraging police and stringent border controls while enhancing legislative and judicial measures to curb terrorism.

Collectively, the suppression of the avenues that finance terrorism is likewise of absolute importance.

On the other hand, the time may just be ripe for the EAC to institute a counter- terrorism unit at the Secretariat that should oversee safety, undertake research, ensure protection of human rights and formulate appropriate legal instruments to combat terrorism.

These are some of the considerations to protect humanity and ensure the rule of law and safety prevails, in the fight against terrorism in the continent and the EAC in particular.

**The writer comments on socio-economic issues and is based in Arusha.

Source: East African Business Week (Uganda)