East Africa's border communities sensitised on coexistence

The deputy secretary general for the East African Community, Andrea Arik Malueth, says peace, security and stability are essential objectives for the development of the community.

"Without peace and security all the services are constrained,” he noted adding that there was a need for the EAC to consider peace, security and stability in the region as prerequisites to social-economic transformation, and development vital for the achievement of the aims of the community.

He added that health, education and infrastructure development should not be constrained.

Therefore, he called upon the communities in the EAC to maintain peace to allow governments to complete boundary demarcation processes.

“There is a need to establish infrastructure for service delivery to the border communities,” Malueth noted, adding that EAC recognises that disagreements are unavoidable in everyday society.

He was speaking on Friday (November 01, 2024) at the Ateker border communities’ sensitisation on peaceful coexistence at Naitakwae playground, Nadunget sub-county in Moroto district.

The one-day dialogue on peaceful existence attracted clan, military, kraal, local and religious leaders from the nine local governments of Karamoja.
These included: Napak, Nakapiripirit, Amudat and Nabilatuk. Others are Moroto, Abim, Kotido, Kaabong and Karenga districts in the subregion.

Malueth said the EAC secretariat is reinforcing its mediation and preventive diplomacy capacities adding that it will be happy to support endeavors towards peaceful resolutions.

“We have already discussed with the African Union borders programme on possibilities of conducting training for leaders on mediation,” Malueth noted, adding that as well as other alternative dispute resolution techniques to enable them to carry out exercises across border disputes.

On the implementation of the peace caravan resolutions, he noted that the EAC will continue to engage development partners aimed at mobilizing funds to support partner states and border communities’ efforts to sustainably resolve border disputes.

“We want to maintain peace, security and socio-economic development of our people,” Malueth said.

He congratulated the development partners, specifically GIZ for their unwavering financial support, saying without their contribution it would have been very difficult to implement the resolutions of the peace caravan.

The caravan will leave Karamoja to North West Turkana, heading to South Sudan. The delegation that comprises the Turkana, Karimojong and Toposa respectively will hold sensitization peace dialogues in Lokichogio and Narus and, thereafter, an action review meeting in Lodwar- Kenya about 150 kilometres, North East of Moroto town.