CROSS ROADS : Peace in Burundi, Congo, S.Sudan key to stable EAC

The ‘grenade’ explosion that left six children killed and 25 others injured in Kagera is a sordid reminder that war does not pay.

Tanzania has always been a peace loving nation, but those instruments of war like the grenades, in the past found their way from neighbouring countries in civil wars. Media reports indicated the grenade could have been abandoned by ex-soldiers, who sought refuge in Tanzania.

The unrest, the political upheavals in Burundi and other neighbouring countries, always have unintended consequences, often very devastating - like what happened to the young ones in Kagera.

Looking back in our history, the 1st World War had nothing much to do with Tanzania. Yet, it left a trail of destruction. In 1914, World War 1 broke out in Europe and by August 8 it had reached Dar es Salaam, where a German wireless relay station was bombarded by British Royal Navy. In the next few years as the war ravaged, many Tanzanians were killed. In the Second World War, a number of Tanzanians went out of the country to fight for the colonial masters and lost their lives.

By looking back at the two wars, my intention is to show that, just because the war does not concern a particular nation, it does not mean that, it will not have any effect. Political instability (a known recipe for civil strives) in the DRC, Burundi, South Sudan does affect our wellbeing as a nation, directly or indirectly.

For years, Tanzania has been hosting thousands and thousands of refugees from neighbouring nations. This ultimately, has negative effects. As much as international bodies support the refugees, the host nation, shoulders a lot of responsibilities for their wellbeing.

We saw in the past the 3 countries I have named involved in civil wars. It was hoped that democracy would solve their problems, but things have not worked well. Political instability, like the sword of Damocles hangs in their necks. All the civil wars in Africa are brought about by political and economic instability.

Today, in some areas of South Sudan, there is drought and armed conflicts. This places the lives of many women and children in danger! In Burundi, the opposition rejected the outcome of a presidential election, and it seems the democratic space is waning.

For Dr Congo, there are areas that have never known peace for decades. A general election is planned next years, where the incumbent is not expected to stand.

Hopefully, the election will bring peace once and for all. Then we have our neighbours Kenya. The political temperatures are high. The re-election of Uhuru Kenyatta has been rejected by opposition. What happens next, we can only pray, it will not cause civil strife!

Back in 2004, Professor John C. Anyanwu wrote a paper titled “Economic and Political Causes of Civil Wars in Africa: Some Econometric Results.” He noted that “the pace of political reforms toward better governance and improved political rights should be accelerated in Africa given that our results have shown that democracy is a useful tool to reduce the onset of civil war in the Continent.”

Even today, I think we should heed Prof Anyanwu’s advice. We don’t need any civil war in Africa; we need our freedom, democracy and economic development. It is said that poverty and violence sometimes go hand in hand as people fight over resources.

East Africa we can do better. The case where we only have reports of millions of people fleeing drought, hunger, terror and civil wars, should be made history. My heart goes out to victims of political violence in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the DRC, Uganda, Somalia, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and many other places around the world.