As matters of security rise through the priority list of East African member countries’ concerns, 2014, a deadline earlier set for ratification.
According to the security expert at the EAC secretariat Leonard Onyonyi only Rwanda and Uganda have ratified the region’s Peace and Security Protocol signed in February last year (2013).
Speaking at the Capacity Building workshop on Peace and Security in Kampala, Onyonyi warned that failure to ratify the protocol in time would delay and jeopardize all efforts to ensure peace and security in the region.
The objective of the protocol is to promote peace, security and stability within the community and good neighbourliness among the partner states. The protocol envisions joint planning and operations to secure the borders of the five member countries and provide joint force against any foreign aggressions.
Justifying the need for all partner states to ratify the protocol, Onyonyi said ratifying to the protocol would lead to the establishment of a peace and security directorate through the partner states cooperate to ensure conflict prevention and management, prevention of genocides, combating Terrorism and disaster risk reduction. Where as its absence means that Partner states cannot do anything in case any of them is attacked. Onyonyi argued.
The Speaker of the East African Parliament Margaret Zziwa said it is now time for Members of the East African Legislative Assembly to articulate the advantages of this protocol to their respective governments.
Zziwa noted that if all member countries could ratify the protocol; the Community would be in a better position to address issues like the conflicts within the region and even in neighbouring countries like South Sudan.
