IGIHE

Tag: GreatLakesNews

  • Somali Leaders Urged to Work Together

    {{The outgoing British Ambassador to Somalia Matt Baugh has said the international community would support the war-torn country to stability, but it is up to Somalis themselves to rebuild their country.}}

    “It is now down to all Somalis and their leaders wherever they might be to work together. The pride of greater stability in their country is greater than anything else,” Mr Baugh told media in Nairobi on Thursday.

    {{Jubaland crisis in Kismayu}}

    Responding to a question on the nature of Jubaland crisis in Kismayu, Mr Baugh stated that every Somali leader must be ready to give and take for the good of Somalia, rather than for personal interests.

    “They need to cooperate; they need to collaborate, they going to need to compromise. The going to have to work together,” he said.

    In the past ten days, deadly violence between the Ras Kamboni Brigade (RKB) and militiamen loyal to Iftin Basto, who laid claim on the contested Jubaland presidency, has seen several people dead and dozens wounded.

    {{New parliament and president elected}}

    This has been seen as a further drawback to Somalia’s peace process which last year saw a new parliament and president elected.

    Somalia’s security status has greatly improved through efforts of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), whose forces managed to drive al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu.

    In an opinion article in the Daily Nation on Thursday, Horn of Africa specialist Rashid Abdi noted that the new fighting would cause a further burden to Amisom to which Kenya Defence Forces are part. (READ: The way out of a crisis in Jubaland)

    “The KDF/Amisom troops in Kismayu are now faced with the unwelcome prospect, not to say additional strain, of policing their allies, over and above the routine military task of keeping up the pressure on Al-Shabaab and ensuring the militant group does not stage a come-back,” Mr Rashid argued.

    {{UN call for restraint}}

    On Thursday, the UN Security Council through its President Mark Lyall Grant of UK expressed their “concern for the deterioration” of the situation in Jubaland.

    “The members of the Security Council called on all parties to refrain from any action which may threaten peace and stability in the Juba regions,” the Council said adding that parties should instead engage the federal government led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud.

    The Council vowed to support the federal system in Somalia and the Provisional Constitution passed last year in October.

    However, Mr Baugh argued that while we still need Amisom to help stabilise Somalia, much more should be done to ensure the country can work properly on its own.

    “I am not sure at this stage it is either Amisom or Somali security agents we need most. I think it is both. Right now, we still need Amisom, but we also we need to bring together a Somali security which is capable and that is more effective.

    NMG

  • Obama’s Safari in Tanzania Cancelled

    {{The White House has canceled a safari that US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were due to take in Tanzania over budgetary concerns, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.}}

    The newspaper, citing a Secret Service planning document, said the excursion scheduled during a tour of Africa that Obama will undertake later this month would have required agents protecting him to take extraordinary precautions.

    The safari “would have required the president’s special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles with high-caliber rounds that could neutralize cheetahs, lions or other animals if they became a threat,” the paper reported.

    Outlining the vast security preparations made for Obama’s trip to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa, the document was provided to the Post by a person “concerned about the amount of resources necessary for the trip.”

    It did not provide cost information.

    The Post said the White House canceled the safari Wednesday after the paper inquired about the “purpose and expense.” The Obamas had been expected to spend more than two hours at Tanzania’s Mikumi National Park.

    The White House was not immediately available for comment, but a spokesman told the Post that a trip to South Africa’s Robben Island, the site of the prison where anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela was held, had taken precedence.

    “We do not have a limitless supply of assets to support presidential missions, and we prioritized a visit to Robben Island over a two-hour safari in Tanzania,” said the spokesman, Josh Earnest.

    {{“Unfortunately, we couldn’t do both.”}}

    The Post said Obama’s Africa tour, his first since taking office in January 2009, could cost the government between $60 million and $100 million, based on cost of similar trips in recent years.

    The report comes as many government agencies struggle with mandatory budget cuts that took effect in March because US lawmakers failed to strike a wider budget deal.

    Hundreds of Secret Service agents will be dispatched for the president’s visit, along with a Navy aircraft carrier or amphibious ship, with a fully staffed medical trauma center stationed offshore, the report said.

    Dozens of vehicles will also be brought to the three countries by military transport planes, along with sheets of bulletproof glass to cover the windows of the hotels where the Obamas stay.

    “Fighter jets will fly in shifts, giving 24-hour coverage over the president’s airspace,” the report said, citing the Secret Service document.

    {wirestory}

  • Sudan accuses JEM rebels of Attacking Abyei oil Pipeline

    {{Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) on Thursday accused the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) of attacking an oil pipeline in Abyei with the support of South Sudan, but the rebel group denied any link with the sabotage.}}

    In a statement released on Thursday, SAF spokesperson, Al Sawarmi Khaled, said that JEM rebels on Wednesday at 09.00 pm attacked the pipeline in Ajaja area in northern Abyei, which is under the protection of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

    He asserted that the attackers penetrated the area from the South Sudanese Unity state.

    But JEM spokesperson Gibreel Adam Bilal said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune that their group did not blow up the pipeline connecting Difra oil field with a processing plant in Heglig.

    He said they do not receive any support from the South Sudanese army, SPLA, and stressed they also have no presence in Abyei area which is claimed by Sudan and South Sudan.

    Al-Sawarmi said the UNISFA soldiers are pursuing the rebel fighters. However the UNISFA has not issued a communiqué on the incident.

    Sudan deployed some 126 soldiers in Difra and refuse to withdraw them in line with an agreement reached with the South Sudan in June 2011 providing to pull out troops and to deploy an international force there. Khartoum argues that rebel groups are present in the area.

    Oil minister Awad Al-Jaz, on the other hand, minimised the incident saying the damaged pipeline is a secondary one transporting the oil of Difra to the oil processing plant in Heglig.

    The minister added that the fire now extinguished and the situation is under full control as the technical teams are now restarting the pipeline.

    Al-Sawarmi pointed out the rebels had engineering equipment that enabled them to blow up the pipeline, stressing this gear was provided by the South Sudanese government.

    “Abyei Now” a website managed by Ngok Dinka activists said the attack had been carried out by a group of gunmen belonging to the Misseriya ethnic group to protest the lack of development in the region.

    An anonymous source claimed the responsibility of the attack and accused some tribal figures linked to the regime of confiscating the 2% of Abyei oil income dedicated to develop the area.

    He also denied any link the Sudan Revolutionary Front rebels.

    Al-Sawarmi stressed that the rebels had attempted several times in the past to attain the pipeline but the UNISFA prevented them.

    Difra oil field which is the only one placed in Abyei by the Permanent Arbitration Tribunal in July 2009, produces a small amount of oil estimated at 4,000 barrel per day.

    On 9 June Sudan decided to stop the flow of the South Sudanese oil through the pipeline and accused Juba of violating the cooperation agreement of 27 September 2012, saying it continues to support rebel groups.

    South Sudan denies the accusation and accuses Khartoum in return of supporting rebel groups in Jonglei and other areas.

    ST

  • Burundi’s Economy not Well after Market Fire

    {{The main market in Burundi’s capital was once the heart of the country, a bustling and crowded business zone that drove the national economy.}}

    Four months after Bujumbura’s key covered market was razed to the ground by a sweeping fire, the impact is still being keenly felt with tax revenues down by a fifth.

    Most of the traders lost their livelihoods in the fierce blaze that also consumed storage facilities, and now are struggling.

    Widow and mother-of-eight Marguerite used to sell rice, beans, and palm oil in a stall in the market, living life “with dignity.”

    Now she barely manages to feed her family, renting a room without water, electricity or toilets for $8 in a poor neighbourhood of Bujumbura.

    “When the market was burned, I lost everything,” the 32-year-old said. “It is as if my life had stopped. I found myself helpless, four of my children were in private school and had to stop studying. I had to beg for food.”

    Officially, some 7,000 traders were working in the market, but as many as three times that number were working informally, experts say.

    All, or almost all, traders were ruined by the January 27 fire, which raged for hours and which police believe was caused by arson, as they were not insured, said Audace Bizabishaka, who heads a trader support association.

    {{Enormous blow}}

    For Burundi’s economy, already on its knees after a brutal 1993-2006 civil war and struggling amid the global economic crisis, the fire was an enormous blow.

    “The fire in the market was devastating, and now we have begun to see its effects on the economy,” said finance ministry spokesman Desire Musharitse. “State revenue dropped by 20 per cent in the three months that followed.”

    One former finance minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained the impact of the fire is being felt across the country as many regional traders bought their supplies at the market.

    The loss was “a huge blow to an economy already in crisis,” said the former minister.

    So far traders have not received aid the government had promised, according to Bizabishaka

    His association estimates that nearly 100,000 people were directly affected by the fire, a massive impact on the small nation.

    Bujumbura has some 600,000 inhabitants, the country in total about 8 million people.

    Now on many crossroads in the capital, dozens of former traders left without income squat on the pavement begging those walking by for help.

    The sorry sight is a “reflection of what is happening in this country in crisis, it is confused and adrift,” said Faustin Ndikumana, head of civil society group Parcem, which is working for good governance. The crisis “is sparing no sector of national life.”

    Even before the fire, Burundi’s economy was massively dependent on foreign aid and suffering from the repercussions of the global economic crisis.

    In November 2012, the international community pledged $2.6 billion in aid to Burundi for 2013.

    “Nothing has (yet) been released”, said Finance Minister Tabu Abdallah Manirakiza. “The crisis… we live it every day.”

    {{Empty warehouses}}

    Half of the national budget for Burundi — ranked among the three poorest countries in the world with a GDP per capita of $250 according to the World Bank — is provided by foreign aid.

    Falling tax revenues following the fire have deepened the problem.

    In 2012, according to official figures, Burundi’s economy grew by 4.5 per cent, with growth of 4.9% expected this year.

    But the country is lagging behind compared to its neighbours while inflation — expected to hit 9 per cent this year according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — eats into the growth.

    The crisis is not only hitting shops, transport and real estate, but also banks.

    Two months after the fire, one of the leading financial houses, Interbank Burundi, said that deposits have slumped by nearly a half.

    In the lakeshore port of Bujumbura, most warehouses are empty.

    In desperation, the finance minister has called on the international community to fulfil its promises of aid.

    But civil society groups argue that Burundi — ranked among the most corrupt nations in the world — also suffers from a problem of leadership.

    “Why, despite the many development plans… is Burundi going backwards instead of forward?” asked Faustin Ndikumana. “It’s simple, this country has a problem of leadership at every level.”

    Gabriel Rufyiri, president of an association fighting graft, agrees, saying that while it is true “donor nations are in crisis…beyond that, it is governance that is the cause”, denouncing widespread corruption and a lack of capacity among leaders.

    NMG

  • Fastjet Starts international flights from Tanzania

    {{ Fastjet, the African budget airline backed by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, said it would temporarily shelve plans to launch domestic routes in South Africa to focus on rolling out international flights from Tanzania.}}

    The African start-up airline said on Friday it had been granted permission to launch international flights from Tanzania to South Africa, Zambia and Rwanda after receiving route approvals from the relevant governments under the Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) between Tanzania and the other countries.

    However, the company said it had decided to put the launch of fastjet-branded domestic routes in South Africa temporarily on hold to focus on launching international services as soon as possible.

    “We remain totally committed to launching the fastjet brand in South Africa as soon as possible … we have taken the sensible decision to prioritize setting up these lucrative and high profile routes first, before turning our attention to launch the fastjet brand on domestic routes in South Africa,” Ed Winter, fastjet’s chairman and chief executive, said.

    Winter added that the company would soon announce launch dates for flights to Johannesburg, Kigali and Lusaka from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

    Fastjet, which has ambitions to become the first pan-African low-cost carrier, was created following the acquisition of African airline Fly540, and operates from four bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Angola.

    Fastjet, which has 10 aircraft serving around 25 destinations within Africa, on Thursday said it had agreed to create a low-cost airline operating within Nigeria and across Africa with Nigeria’s Red 1 Airways.

    Fastjet also said it had signed a new three year equity financing agreement for up to 15 million pounds ($23.5 million) with Darwin, a subsidiary of Henderson Global Investors Volantis Capital, after having drawn 1.13 million pounds from its existing facility.

    {wirestory}

  • Ethiopia Signes River Nile treaty amid Egypt tension

    Ethiopia’s parliament has ratified a treaty intended to replace colonial-era agreements that gave Egypt and Sudan the biggest share of the Nile’s water.

    The move comes amid growing tensions with Egypt over Ethiopia’s plans for a hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile.

    Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said on Monday he did not want war but would not allow Egypt’s water supply to be endangered.

    He said that he was keeping “all options open”.

    Cairo is worried that the dam will reduce the water supply vital for its 84 million people.

    In the latest move, the Ethiopian parliament unanimously endorsed the new Nile River Co-operative Framework Agreement, an accord already signed by five other Nile-basin countries – Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Burundi.

    The accord is the product of long negotiations to replace the 1929 treaty written by Britain that awarded Egypt veto power over any project involving the Nile by upstream countries.

    Sudan and Egypt also signed a deal in 1959 dividing the Nile’s waters between them.

    The new agreement would establish a permanent body to oversee river management.

    “Most of the upstream countries have approved it through their parliaments,” Ethiopian government spokesman Bereket Simon said.

    “We delayed it as a gesture of goodwill to the people of Egypt until a formal elected government was in place.

    “We have a principled stance on the construction of dams. We are determined to see our projects brought to completion.”

    Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr is due to visit Addis Ababa on Sunday for talks about the dam.

    However, Ethiopia’s foreign ministry has said there is no question of suspending work.

    The African Union has urged dialogue and co-operation between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

    Ethiopia says the $4.7bn (£3.1bn) Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will eventually provide 6,000 megawatts of power.

    Egypt was apparently caught by surprise when Ethiopia started diverting the Blue Nile – a tributary of the Nile – last month.

    Addis Ababa says the river will be slightly diverted but will then be able to follow its natural course.

    Mr Morsi said Egypt had no objection to projects in Nile basin states “on condition that those projects do not affect or damage Egypt’s legal and historical rights”.

    Earlier this month Egyptian politicians were inadvertently heard on live TV proposing military action over the dam.

    BBC

  • Kenyan MPs ‘agree to lower salaries’

    {{Kenya’s MPs have agreed to drop their annual salary by $45,000 ($28,700) to $75,000 following a public outcry, a government-appointed body has said.}}

    The MPs would receive a car allowance of around $58,000, for agreeing to the cut, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) said.

    On Tuesday, protesters in the capital, Nairobi, denounced MPs as “MPigs”.

    MPs voted for a $120,000 annual salary in May, in defiance of the wishes of the SRC and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

    {{‘Trade-off’}}

    They argued they deserved the amount because they worked hard and gave financial help to their constituents.

    But their decision sparked national outrage as the MPs are among the highest paid in the world and the average income in Kenya is around $1,800 a year.

    MPs agreed to the pay cut of nearly 40% in “fruitful” talks held with them, the SRC said.

    The 416 MPs would receive a one-off car grant of around $58,000, as it was a “more viable option” than giving each of them a chauffeur-driven car, the SRC added, AFP news agency reports.

    The MPs would also receive hefty pension benefits, it reports.

    MPs in the previous parliament awarded themselves a $107,000 retirement bonus in one of the last sessions before the election.

    The package also provided them with an armed guard, a diplomatic passport and access to airport VIP lounges.

    Kenya held presidential and parliamentary elections in March.

    The SRC and the president can only recommend how much MP.

    {BBC}

  • Sudan’s Opposition Leader Denies 100-day scheme to Topple Regime

    {{The leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Al-Sadig Al-Mahdi, has distanced himself from a 100-day plan to overthrow the government which was adopted last week by the opposition umbrella National Consensus forces (NCF).}}

    Al-Mahdi said at a press conference on Wednesday that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has to choose between sitting at a round table with all opposition forces to resolve the issues of the country and forming a transitional government or facing a popular uprising and peaceful protests.

    The former prime minister also announced a new initiative to change the regime through collecting a million signatures and organising sit-ins in public squares and other places.

    He pointed out that the initiative will be implemented expeditiously to avert any possible war between Khartoum and Juba, with the aim of finding common ground with Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels.

    Al-Mahdi disclosed that he was approached to participate in the summit meeting which will soon be organised by the presidency, saying that he had been assured that all parties will participate in the meeting and that freedom of discussion will be fully guaranteed.

    The NUP leader, who avoided using the phrase “toppling the regime” and instead used “changing the regime”, downplayed the effectiveness of the NCF’s 100-day plan, saying his initiative offered a different solution.

    He called upon authorities not to suppress the sit-ins and said that “We will try to avoid clashes with the authorities and the latter must respect the desire of the people”, adding that internal circumstances are conducive for change.

    Al-Mahdi also revealed that he made contacts with some international parties about the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Sudan’s president, Omer al-Bashir, to arrive at an agreement, saying that the parties showed flexibility towards his call for reconciling between stability and the implications of the arrest warrant.

    He directed scathing criticism at the NCF, saying the 100-day plan to topple the regime is in effect an explicit call to suppress it and said that his party was not involved in the preparation and coordination of the plan, stressing that he supports change through peaceful means and not toppling the government within 100 days.

    NUP’s representative at the NCF, Abd Al-Galil Al-Basha, passed a note to Al-Mahdi during his remarks, saying that he had participated in all stages of preparation for the 100-day plan.

    However, al-Mahdi ignored the note, saying instead that the initiative was aimed at mobilising, not overthrowing the regime.

    The NUP leader further called upon the government to reconsider its decision to halt the flow of South Sudan’s oil through Sudanese territory and said that the government’s pretext for stoppage is a “lame excuse” as rebel support continued even after Juba shut down its oil fields last January following a dispute over transit fees.

    He also praised remarks by South Sudanese president Salva Kiir calling for calm.

    Khartoum has said that its decision to halt the flow of oil was in response to South Sudan’s funding of rebels fighting his government.

    Al-Mahdi said that African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki will put forward new proposals to bring closer the views of Sudan and South Sudan notably, the formation of a committee of wise men to take up the complaints of the two sides, saying that Mbeki believes that the main differences between the two countries are the support of the armed opposition and disagreement over border areas.

    In a separate issue, the opposition leader said that Sudan would largely benefit from the controversial Ethiopian renaissance dam as it will provide continuous water flow throughout the year, as well as reducing sedimentation in Al-Rusairs dam and producing cheap electricity which could be exported to Sudan.

    The remarks by the NUP chief will likely fuel long-standing suspicions by other opposition parties that al-Mahdi is working to frustrate any efforts to move in the direction of regime change.

    The decision by al-Mahdi’s son, Abdel-Rahman, to take up the post of presidential assistant was widely seen as a step by al-Mahdi to appease the ruling NCP.

    Some within the NUP politburo privately say that they believe al-Mahdi has forged a secret deal with the NCP in which he agreed to block any efforts in the direction of regime change.

    {{ST}}

  • US denies fearing China, outlines the focus of Obama visit

    {{ US Envoy to Tanzania Alfonso Lenhardt yesterday outlined key areas of focus in President Barack Obama’s visit to Tanzania next month, saying the US wasn’t nervous over China’s increasing presence in the country.}}

    The visit by Mr Obama, the first black US President with direct links to Africa, will focus on investments, economic growth, strengthening of democratic institutions and nurturing young leadership, Mr Lenhardt said during a media roundtable meeting in the city.

    He said Mr Obama chose to visit Tanzania and not other countries in the region because it is a beacon of peace on the continent, an important investment destination and a global champion in the fight against poverty.

    “The visit by President Obama is precisely to support Tanzania in its development endeavours and to deepen the bilateral cooperation between the great countries,” Mr Lenhardt said.

    He said the US was supportive of China’s relations with Tanzania if the purpose was legitimate and the focus was the country’s development. “We are supportive of China’s relations with Tanzania provided the purpose is legitimate. China does not pose a problem one way or the other, but the issue should be how we help Tanzania become a medium income country.”

    Tanzania will be the last stop of Mr Obama’s three-nation tour of Africa from June 26 to July 1. President Obama, who will also visit Senegal and South Africa, will be accompanied by his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha.

    Mr Lenhardt said the itinerary and exact agenda of Mr Obama’s visit was not yet unclear, but added that he would meet stakeholders from the private and public sectors as well as youth representatives.

    “We do not yet know exactly which specific agenda the President has in those focus areas, but the general purpose of the visit is to reinforce the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.”

    Taking stock of US-funded aid programmes in Tanzania, the ambassador noted that his government supported projects worth about $750 million (Sh 1.2 trillion) million last year, making it one of the country’s biggest development partners. He said through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other nine agencies, the US had invested in various sectors that touched on the wellbeing of the majority Tanzanians by improving their health, food security and democracy and leadership.

    Mr Lenhardt said the funds given were a sign of American people wanting to reach out to Tanzanians and improve their lives, adding that there was no hidden agenda.

    The Citizen

  • EAC not to blame For Failed trade talks with EU

    {{For a long time, countries in the East African region have enjoyed preferential access to European Union (EU) markets. This arrangement, however, came to an end in 2007. }}

    This led to the start of negotiations for a long-term reciprocal trade arrangement between the EU and the East African Community (EAC) regional bloc, which are known as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). These negotiations have stalled for years and have recently hit a deadlock.

    This is mainly because of ‘contentious’ issues that were raised by the EAC, including legal provisions on the Most Favoured Nation clause, export taxes, the Stand Still clause and Rules of Origin, among others.

    These issues bear serious implications for the region that if concluded in the current form, can be detrimental to East Africa’s trade and development needs.

    Not only have the so-called contentious issues remained unresolved, we have also seen the EU table new areas for negotiation.

    For instance, by submitting a new text of Trade Related Issues such as services, environment, labour standards and social accountability, the EU has greatly contributed to the delay in the process.

    These new areas go beyond what is required of regional trade agreements under the World Trade Rules.

    In September 2011, the EU also made a proposal to amend its Market Access Regulation. This Market Access Regulation 1528/2007 is a unilateral temporary instrument of the EU to ensure that pending implementation of the EPAs, there will be no trade disruption.

    It provides for duty free-quota free market access to countries having signed or initialed the interim EPA.

    This amendment permits the EU to exclude countries from the market access arrangement if they do not take necessary steps to ratify and implement their EPA agreement or conclude a new regional EPA from January 1, 2014.

    This amendment also put a strain on the pace of negotiations and African Trade ministers spent a lot of time petitioning the EU parliament to review this amendment, which was fortunately revised.

    Again in November 2011, the EU proposed two new issues to be included in the negotiations, namely, good governance in the tax area and obligations from Customs Union Agreements concluded with EU.

    The EAC has not agreed to the inclusion of the new issues. It is not surprising that every time the EU adds a list of items on the agenda, our negotiators have to go back and consult their governments, which delays the process.

    In light of this, a number of things need to be considered for both parties to reach a lasting win-win partnership. First, it is important to appreciate that the two parties are not negotiating at a level playing field in as far as trade and investment is concerned.

    While the EU is economically advanced with highly industrialised economies, the EAC states are still under developed and largely dependant on primary commodities as major exports.

    In global trade, all the five EAC states still grapple with the long-standing supply side constraints due to very low productivity, especially in the agriculture sector.

    In terms of geographical make up, the EAC constitutes five small economies yet under EPAs trade regimes, we are talking about removing all trade barriers to about 27 countries within the EU.

    Due to the huge disparity between the EAC and EU, one would expect that the EU would re-consider or revise the issues that have created an impasse in the negotiations.

    It is only justified that the EU gives the EAC adequate time to fully prepare for each round of negotiation without necessarily building a long list of complex issues on the agenda.

    Second, we cannot have negotiations for trade in goods and then services, competition, investment, environment and labour all in one EPA agreement. All these issues are too broad to be concluded in one package.

    The new issues bear significant political and socio-economic consequences and can be counterproductive to development if not carefully handled.

    Last but not least, if EPA negotiations are to be concluded, we need to have a sequenced negotiation agenda. We need to conclude the agreement on trade in goods first.

    Then we can have separate negotiations for services and other issues as long as the EAC is ready and prepared to negotiate. Alternatively, these new issues can still be resolved under the multilateral world trading system.

    It is not realistic to blame and pressure the EAC to conclude the agreement.

    {Ms Karungi works with the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment.}

    Adapted from NMG