Africa: EAC ministers meet in Arusha to address security challenges, cash crunch
The East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers is meeting in Arusha this week to discuss issues affecting the region, including the deteriorating security situation in eastern Congo and budgetary constraints hampering the operations of the Secretariat.
The ministers are expected to review the interventions of the joint EAC-SADC (Southern African Development Community) initiatives to restore peace, security and stability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
A paper from the Secretariat notes that since the start of the year, more than 700,000 people have been displaced in the Congolese provinces of North and South Kivu due to the resurgence of the M23 armed group.'The resurgence has also worsened the humanitarian situation in the two provinces,' the EAC says.
The ministers will also review the bloc's financial situation, which has affected the implementation of its mandate and the payment of statutory obligations, including staff salaries.
Read: EAC on the brink: Cash crunch bites as defaults mountSomalis movementMeanwhile, Somalia has complained to the Secretariat about the challenges its citizens face when travelling within EAC member states.
Mogadishu says Somali officials, including those holding diplomatic and service passports, face obstacles in obtaining visas in advance, hence hindering their ability to travel and participate fully in regional initiatives.'In this respect, member states are reminded of their commitment to observe and implement the provisions of the [Common Market] Protocol and to provide reciprocal treatment to citizens of partner states in matters enshrined in the Protocol,' the Secretariat says.
© Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
2 days ago
- Zawya
African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson received H.E. Charles Karamba, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to Ethiopiaa
The Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, received H.E. Charles Karamba, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to Ethiopia&Permanent Representative to the African Union. They exchanged views on regional peace and security, with a focus on the situations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Somalia. The Chairperson welcomed the collaborative efforts of the EAC and SADC in de-escalating tensions in Eastern DRC and acknowledged progress towards a peace agreement. The Chairperson&Amb. Karamba reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the implementation of the South Sudan peace agreement. On peacekeeping on the continent, they underscored the importance of sustainable peacekeeping financing, with UNSC Resolution 2719 providing a key framework for predictable support. Ambassador Karamba expressed appreciation for the Chairperson's early visit to Kigali and reiterated Rwanda's continued support for his leadership. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).
Zawya
3 days ago
- Zawya
EAC ministers order probe on products requiring special tax treatment
East African Community (EAC) ministers have directed the Secretariat to institute measures aimed at abolishing special tax treatment for certain goods in the region in the next 12 months. The EAC Sectoral Council of the Ministers of Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) wants an investigation to ascertain the availability of these products in the region and the justification for the special treatment. They say applications for preferential tax treatment by member states must be backed by comprehensive and valid justification. This is in the latest attempt by the regional ministers to deal with persistent stays of application requests by member states, which are believed to be watering down the objectives of common external tariff (CET), including enhancing regional competitiveness and industrialisation. In a meeting held in Arusha May 26-30, the Council directed partner states to submit a list of not more than five products each, which are prone to preferential tax treatment and are available in sufficient quantities in the region by June 30, 2025. Read: EAC ministers suspend new levies on high-risk products pending reviewThe EAC Secretariat and the partner states are expected to undertake a regional study to establish the availability of the products manufactured within the region by the end of June 2026.'The meeting emphasised the need for justification for the requested stays prior to approval,' says according to the report of the meeting. The meeting noted that, despite the comprehensive review of the EAC Common External Tariff in May 2022 aimed at enhancing regional industrialisation, value addition and competitiveness, partner states have continued to submit numerous requests for stays of application on the same tariff lines.'This persistent trend suggests that national interests are still taking precedence over the agreed regional objectives, thereby undermining the uniform application and effectiveness of the revised CET,' says the report. Currently, there are 1,956 tariff lines under stays (22 percent of CET), with potential increase to over 2,000 lines (30 percent of CET).'This upward trajectory raises concerns and undermines the EAC CET,' the Council warns. They noted that some stays of applications were found to have minimal traffic, with transactions as low as $200. The EAC Council of Ministers, in April 2014, decided to do away with stays of applications and directed that a phase out proposal be developed, which was subsequently adopted by the Sectoral Council of the Ministers of Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment in May that year. But the directive is yet to be implemented, as countries still pursue this window of stays of applications and tax exemptions on various sensitive goods. It is argued that the excessive protection granted to sensitive goods should be removed and the products opened to competition, as most member states have abused this window. The EAC Council had agreed that the removal of stays of applications and duty remission inform the comprehensive review of tariffs. According to the ministers, the special tax treatment accorded to sensitive items is not anchored in the EAC Customs law and is stifling intra-regional trade. The ministers have proposed harmonisation of specific duty rates between partner states and verification of products where countries have sufficient production. In last year's budget, EAC ministers of finance agreed on duty remissions on raw materials and inputs used by local manufacturers to facilitate domestic production. Kenya was granted an extension of the current stay of application to import rice at a duty rate 35 percent or $200 per metric tonne, whichever is higher, for one year, instead of the EAC rate of 75 percent or $345 per metric tonne, whichever is higher, in order to meet local demand and enhance food security. It was also allowed to import wheat at a duty rate of 10 percent, instead of 35 percent for one year under the EAC Duty Remission Scheme. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Dubai Eye
08-06-2025
- Dubai Eye
Rwanda quits Central African bloc in dispute with Congo
Rwanda has said it would withdraw from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), underscoring diplomatic tensions in the region over an offensive this year by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo. Kigali had expected to assume the chairmanship of the 11-member bloc at a meeting on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea. Instead, the bloc kept Equatorial Guinea in the role, which Rwanda's foreign ministry denounced as a violation of its rights. Rwanda, in a statement, condemned Congo's "instrumentalization" of the bloc and saw "no justification for remaining in an organization whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles." It wasn't clear if Rwanda's exit from the bloc would take immediate effect. The office of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said in a statement that ECCAS members had "acknowledged the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and ordered the aggressor country to withdraw its troops from Congolese soil." M23 seized eastern Congo's two largest cities earlier this year, with the advance leaving thousands dead and raising concerns of an all-out regional war. African leaders along with Washington and Doha have been trying to broker a peace deal. Congo, the UN and Western powers accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 by sending troops and weapons. Rwanda has long denied helping M23, saying its forces were acting in self-defence against Congo's army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed around 1 million people, mostly ethnic Tutsis. US President Donald Trump's administration hopes to strike a peace accord between Congo and Rwanda that would also facilitate billions in Western investment in the region, which is rich in minerals including tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium. ECCAS was established in the 1980s to foster cooperation in areas like security and economic affairs among its member states.
