A new state in East Africa?
Sep. 28th, 2014 07:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nairiporterIt is not exactly a surprise that there has been little to no coverage of this in the Western media, since it is happening thousands of miles away from the bulk of the public, and does not involve mass bloodshed and intense political standoffs, or a deadly epidemic claiming thousands of lives. On the other hand in a way it is a good sign that politics in the eastern corner of Africa has taken a rather reasonable course in recent years, especially having in mind the Rwandan genocide from a few decades ago (and if we exclude the Ugandan debacle with gay rights). Burundi did have a civil war relatively recently, and it has been having some serious issues with human rights, but still, the following plan sounds more like good news overall.
Ugandan President Museveni Sees Deeper Integration in East Africa
"Africa is increasingly in control of its own destiny and no longer needs to rely on other countries to promote its economic development, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni told WSJ Frontiers. The veteran leader, who has been in office for 28 years, also laid out his vision for his country as a key part of an increasingly vibrant - and confident - East African trade bloc. Mr. Museveni, who was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meetings, left no doubt that he already sees the East African Community, which includes Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, as a coherent bloc and that the future will see only deeper integration. “It is already an economic union, we have a customs union, we are going into the monetary union and eventually we will become a political federation,” Mr. Museveni said."
I take this as a refreshing news, coming from a continent that has been marred by turmoil for many years. We could well be witnessing the gradual and peaceful formation of a new state in Africa, and a new change in the world map - but this time involving a process that is the exact opposite to the general pattern of secessionism that we have been seeing as of late (the splitting up of Sudan being the most recent example on this particular continent). Yes, this time, for a change, we are talking of a total of 5 states merging into one. The East African Community has existed for some time with the eventual end goal of creating complete political union. The existing states of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi are closer than ever to achieving this goal.
East Africa: EAC Is Set to Expedite Federation
"The year 2014 has continued to register vital achievements for the East African Community integration agenda. It is a year in which we have witnessed more landmarks in the integration process than some people had probably envisaged. Most of these developments formed the agenda and resolutions of the 12th extraordinary heads of state summit on April 30, 2014 in Arusha, Tanzania. During the summit, the heads of state agreed on key milestones in the integration process, among which was embarking on the processes for political federation - the fourth and remaining pillar of the EAC integration. They have already gone past protocols on: Customs Union (signed in 2005), Common Market (signed in 2010) and the Monetary Union (signed in November 2013). The first two protocols are already under implementation while the third is under the process of ratification by the partner states."
The first step towards this integration is shaping up an economic union, with a common currency, the East African shilling. And the final step will be full political union, with a capital placed in the city of Arusha, Tanzania (the current seat of the organisation). When this happens, this will become the second largest nation in Africa by population, and 11th in the world, with roughly 150 million people. The new flag will look like this:
Despite all the inevitable challenges that are sure to come with such a major change, I think union and integration are always a good and beneficial thing, especially if it is done right. I wish them good luck, and I hope the change happens in a positive way, and this union turns out to be a lasting one, which will hugely contribute to peace and prosperity in the region.
Ugandan President Museveni Sees Deeper Integration in East Africa
"Africa is increasingly in control of its own destiny and no longer needs to rely on other countries to promote its economic development, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni told WSJ Frontiers. The veteran leader, who has been in office for 28 years, also laid out his vision for his country as a key part of an increasingly vibrant - and confident - East African trade bloc. Mr. Museveni, who was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meetings, left no doubt that he already sees the East African Community, which includes Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, as a coherent bloc and that the future will see only deeper integration. “It is already an economic union, we have a customs union, we are going into the monetary union and eventually we will become a political federation,” Mr. Museveni said."
I take this as a refreshing news, coming from a continent that has been marred by turmoil for many years. We could well be witnessing the gradual and peaceful formation of a new state in Africa, and a new change in the world map - but this time involving a process that is the exact opposite to the general pattern of secessionism that we have been seeing as of late (the splitting up of Sudan being the most recent example on this particular continent). Yes, this time, for a change, we are talking of a total of 5 states merging into one. The East African Community has existed for some time with the eventual end goal of creating complete political union. The existing states of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi are closer than ever to achieving this goal.
East Africa: EAC Is Set to Expedite Federation
"The year 2014 has continued to register vital achievements for the East African Community integration agenda. It is a year in which we have witnessed more landmarks in the integration process than some people had probably envisaged. Most of these developments formed the agenda and resolutions of the 12th extraordinary heads of state summit on April 30, 2014 in Arusha, Tanzania. During the summit, the heads of state agreed on key milestones in the integration process, among which was embarking on the processes for political federation - the fourth and remaining pillar of the EAC integration. They have already gone past protocols on: Customs Union (signed in 2005), Common Market (signed in 2010) and the Monetary Union (signed in November 2013). The first two protocols are already under implementation while the third is under the process of ratification by the partner states."
The first step towards this integration is shaping up an economic union, with a common currency, the East African shilling. And the final step will be full political union, with a capital placed in the city of Arusha, Tanzania (the current seat of the organisation). When this happens, this will become the second largest nation in Africa by population, and 11th in the world, with roughly 150 million people. The new flag will look like this:
Despite all the inevitable challenges that are sure to come with such a major change, I think union and integration are always a good and beneficial thing, especially if it is done right. I wish them good luck, and I hope the change happens in a positive way, and this union turns out to be a lasting one, which will hugely contribute to peace and prosperity in the region.
