EAC member states flags. Rwandan President Paul Kagame has criticised
fellow East African Community (EAC) leaders for delaying co-ordinated
efforts in the fight against the novel coronavirus. PHOTO | URUGWIRO
Failed attempts by EAC Heads of States to hold a virtual
conference on the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the widening
ideological rift between member countries.
Current
chair of the East Africa Community and Rwandan President Paul Kagame
last week said the lack of co-ordination at the presidential level has
exposed the region to a wider, cross-border spread of the virus.
President
Kagame had convened a virtual Heads of States summit on April 15 to
discuss joint responses to the pandemic, which has so far infected more
than 3.2 million people and killed over 233,000, but only two other
presidents were ready to take part.
“The Summit did
not happen because a number of countries—three specifically—were not
able to connect with the rest of us and all members have to be available
for the virtual meeting to take place,” said President Kagame at a
Monday press briefing.
While Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda were ready for the meeting, South Sudan, Tanzania and Burundi were not.
President
Kagame wanted the Heads of States to discuss joint measures to curb the
spread of coronavirus in a region that is heavily inter-dependent on
trade matters, yet is grappling with rising cases of transmission by
long-distance truck drivers.
The region also faces a shortage of Covid-19 testing kits and
protective gear for health workers who are too few and ill-equipped
laboratories.
Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta, in a virtual address to the African Union, also pushed for closer regional co-operation.
“If
we are to defeat this enemy, we need to ensure that through our
regional economic communities we are able to communicate, work together
and able to deal with cross-border issues because unless we fight
together, we will lose together,” said President Kenyatta in his April
29 address to the AU.
The EAC has recorded a surge in
the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases involving cross-border truck
drivers from Tanzania and Kenya.
Tanzania, with 480
cases, has the highest number in the region followed by Kenya with 411
cases, Rwanda with 249, Uganda with 85, South Sudan with 45 and Burundi
with 11 as at May 2.
President Kagame castigated the
EAC for putting bureaucratic procedures ahead of co-ordinated efforts to
fight the coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the globe and regional
countries.
He argued that his attempt to convene a
virtual Heads of States Summit was rebuffed on two different occasions,
due to lack of quorum.
“Procedure takes precedence over
substance of the collective responsibility and to solve the problem we
have as a region,” the president said during a press conference on April
27.
“I have responsibility as one of the leaders of
the partner states, and at the same time as the chairperson of the EAC.
But even as chairperson you still have certain limits on how much you
can do even if you wanted to.”
A quorum for the EAC
Heads of States is attained when all partner states are represented
according to Rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni also voiced his frustration at the failure to hold a Heads of States meeting.
President
Museveni said on his Twitter handle that he held telephone
conversations with President Kagame, President Kenyatta and Tanzania’s
President John Magufuli.
“I had a long discussion on
the phone with H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta and H.E. Paul Kagame regarding truck
drivers. President Kenyatta and President Kagame agreed that we can have
a common plan for truck drivers,” wrote President Museveni. “I also
talked to H.E John Magufuli on a slightly different subject.”
Burundi polls
A
letter in our possession written by Burundi’s Minister in the Office of
the President responsible for EAC Affairs, Isabelle Ndahayo, and
addressed to the EAC Secretary-General Liberat Mfumukeko, says that
Burundi has requested to be exempted from EAC meetings until it is done
with its elections to be held later this month.
“Burundi
is starting the electoral period for the presidential, members of
parliament and the municipal council’s elections from April 27 up to May
17,” said Ms Ndahayo.
“Burundi takes this opportunity
to inform you that it would not be possible for delegates from Burundi
to attend regional activities even if they’re organised by video
conference as from April 27 to May 25.”
Even though the
meeting was convened before Burundi’s request not to participate in the
conference, outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza is yet to attend any
EAC function outside his country since the attempted coup in 2015.
South
Sudan was the first to declare its absence, while Tanzania also
informed the bloc that President Magufuli would not be available for the
teleconference.
Incidentally, South Sudan, Burundi and
Tanzania are the only states in East Africa without partial or strict
lockdowns to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“I would
like to highlight the importance of working together to procure
equipment and test kits collectively, so that each country does not have
to line up separately,” President Kagame said during the AU Bureau and
Regional Economic Communities meeting.
He told the AU
meeting that there are too many orders for the required kits and
equipment and joint efforts among African countries are needed.
President
Kagame also blamed the surge of cross-border coronavirus cases –
particularly involving cargo truck drivers - on the lack of a
co-ordinated regional effort to fight the pandemic.
“Rwanda
is now having a problem because we had the situation under control and
were reining in the coronavirus, but all of a sudden, cross-border
activities have introduced new cases,” President Kagame said.
Confusion
at the EAC border crossing points has seen a delay in the movement of
cargo, which is likely to impact negatively on an already battered
regional economy subdued by the virus.
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