Horn of Africa drought threat to regional peace, says Uhuru
President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday warned member States of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) that the prevailing drought situation in the Horn of Africa and East Africa will interrupt peace and security efforts in the region if not handled well.
He said Kenya is committed to support the ongoing search for a peaceful truce affecting the borders of Ethiopia and Sudan on one hand, and Kenya, Somali on the other, cautioning that the situation is likely to multiply into other disasters.
“In the past two years alone, the region has experienced a desert locust invasion; a crushing drought that is still ongoing; numerous threats related to violent extremism; armed conflicts; and, like the rest of the world, the region has not been spared from the Covid-19 pandemic,” the president said while addressing the 39th IGAD Extraordinary Assembly of the Heads of State and Government in Nairobi.
Sharing observations from other leaders on the prevailing drought situation in the region, Uhuru further said that the drought described as the worst in 40 years, has intensified food insecurity, dried up water sources and forced displacement of people. “This, in turn has raised tensions that could trigger new conflicts. We urgently need to manage the drought before it becomes a threat multiplier,” he stated as the meeting which was to end with a news update on the final agreement failed to kick off.
In his reflections on the challenges confronting this region, the Head of State – who was feted by the IGAD leadership as a beacon of peace in the region – said this leaves no doubt that the Horn of Africa is, perhaps one of the most complex and dynamic regions in the continent.
The eight-nation bloc consists of Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan Uganda, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.
The region has gone for four consecutive seasons without rain leaving an estimated 18.5 million people acutely food insecure according to the United Nations.
And the leaders meeting in Nairobi called on the international community to support those affected by the drought. The region faces skyrocketing food prices due to the effects of climate change, funding shortfalls and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Diplomatic situation
Most of these countries depend on grain imports from Ukraine and Russia. The leaders will also discuss the ongoing border conflict between Sudan and Ethiopia. IGAD has urged both countries to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
On his part, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan who noted that if the drought situation is not managed on time and properly, it will turn into one of the worst famine situations. “Our region is in the middle of the worst drought in 40 years and indeed it’s significant like the one in 1984 that resulted in the creation of Igad in 1986. If not managed properly, it will devastate our people and livestock, yet in the middle of all this scarcity, there is abundance,” Abdel Fattah al-Burhane said.
On the issue of peace and security, Uhuru urged partner states to work together with regional and international community to strengthen conflict prevention and promote long-term peace and development.
IGAD Executive Secretary Dr Workneh Gebeyehu noted that although the region has faced various challenges in convening, it has continued to talk to each other as they seize opportunities that benefit all members. “I am encouraged that nevertheless we have continued to talk to each other as one family that is inseparably connected and we have continued acting in the best interest of our people,” he said. The summit follows a recent border escalation between Sudan and Ethiopia.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Macharia Kamau weighing on the matter said that factually the region cannot achieve sustainable development and prosperity without peace and security.
