East African Business Week

ARUSHA, TANZANIA- East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Richard Sezibera has decried the threats posed by piracy on the Indian Ocean waters off the East African coast and the terrorist attacks by the Al Shabaab militants saying they are a threat to the implementation of the Common Market and Customs Union protocols.
"Insecurity in the region caused by the two not only pose a threat to the lives and security of the East African citizens, but also raises the cost of doing business in the region, thus negating the expected benefits of the EAC Customs Union and Common Market," he said at the opening ceremony of the EAC military command post exercise in Musanze District, Rwanda.
More than 300 officers from the EAC partner states' defence forces participated in the joint command post exercise that included drills on planning and conduct of peace support operations, counter terrorism, counter piracy and disaster management.
The exercise is also meant to improve the capabilities to combat complex security challenges and seeks to harmonize the working relationships and improve military interoperability between the forces.
"The East African region faces a serious problem of piracy on the Indian Ocean waters off the East African coast and in and in particular the terrorist threat posed by the Al Shabaab militia operating from bases in neighbouring Somalia," he said.
Sezibera said there are other threats including the negative forces for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) and the Front Nationale Pour la Liberation (FNL) in Burundi.
"With the rising threat of international terrorism and creeping instability in a multiplicity of hot spots across the globe, the issues of defence and security had assumed greater importance and significance in the agenda of groupings of nations such as the EAC.
He however hailed the Partners States for their support to the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia and urged the International Community to increase support to the African Union efforts in stabilizing Somalia.
He said there was need to develop serious commitment to early warning systems and effective response preparedness to the crises of economic, political or social nature that may at any time arise in the region.
 President Paul Kagame who presided over the opening ceremony said such exercises aimed at ensuring that the achievements of integration are well protected.
"This is the kind of cooperation that gives meaning to our Community as it illustrates unity of purpose and reflects the aspirations of the people of East Africa to come together and to respond to the constantly evolving circumstances," he said.
"We need to safeguard the gains accruing from our economic cooperation and it is in view of this that our countries agreed on defence and security collaboration in the areas of military training, joint cooperation, technical cooperation, reciprocal visits and information exchange for mutual benefit" said the President.