EAC upbeat as peace conference opens

The five-nation East African Community (EAC) is built on a strong foundation that cannot collapse despite the challenges it faces.The remarks were made at the ongoing peace and security conference in Bujumbura, Burundi.The conference drew experts, civil society activists, religious leaders and government officials to discuss peace building and conflict prevention initiatives.“I am a captive of optimism. We have come a long way. In this current attempt [of EAC unity], one would hope and expect that we have learnt a lesson, particularly after the collapse of the first EAC,” Prof. Mwesiga Baregu, the chairperson of the Tanzanian constitutional review commission, told this paper on the sidelines of the conference.“The political leadership, even as they debate on who is right or who is wrong, should be aware of the fact that the expectations of East Africans have changed. I believe that East Africans feel East African and I hope the leaders will realise that.”Prof. Baregu said citizens are ready to think beyond their country’s borders but the political leadership is lagging behind.The three-day conferene is held under the theme, “Promoting a culture of dialogue and tolerance for conflict prevention and peaceful coexistence.”More solid todayCharles Njoroge, the EAC deputy secretary-general in charge of Political Federation, also said he believed EAC was built on a more solid foundation than just a mere framework.“There are more benefits from by coming together than sometimes we are able to see. I think what we should be able to know, perhaps, is that we have come from very far, we have learnt from our past mistakes,” he said.“I am convinced that it is not just a matter of one or two things, small differences taking us apart. I am confident in the EAC and it is firm, on the ground, moving forward.” Bishop (rtd) John Rucyahana, the chairperson of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission of Rwanda, discussed the role of dialogue and tolerance in conflict prevention and co-existence.“We need to have a critical analysis of our history in order to draw lessons from it; what are we experiencing today, what caused the limitations in economic development and social maturity and political advancements?” he posed.“We have sources of conflict from within and outside. We need to analytically distinguish them. Genocide ideology is an impediment to EAC that must be exposed for the bloc’s people not to stumble on each other.”Burundi’s First Vice President Bernard Busokoza called for joint efforts to address challenges such as terrorism, piracy, ethnicity, genocide ideology and human trafficking.