18th EAC Ordinary summit The 18th Ordinary summit of Heads of State of The East African Community | |
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Host country | Tanzania |
Date | 20 May 2017 |
Venue(s) | State House |
Cities | Dar-es-salaam |
Participants | Burundi Kenya Rwanda South Sudan Tanzania Uganda |
Follows | 17th EAC Extra Ordinary summit |
Precedes | 19th EAC Ordinary summit |
The 18th EAC Ordinary summit was held on 20 May 2017 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The focus of the summit was the European Union and East African Community Economic Partnership agreement. Also on the agenda of the meeting was the status of the EAC political federation and the speedy integration of South Sudan. [1] The leadership of the community was also transferred from John Magufuli of Tanzania to Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. The Burundian crisis was significantly neglected during the summit, however, Yoweri Museveni the new chairman of the member bloc vowed to quickly find a solution to the crisis. [2] [3]
Country | Title | Dignitary |
---|---|---|
Burundi | Vice President | Gaston Sindimwo |
Kenya | Deputy-President | William Ruto |
Rwanda | Minister of Trade and East African Affairs | François Kanimba |
Uganda | President | Yoweri Museveni |
Tanzania | President | John Magufuli |
Observing Participants | ||
South Sudan | Special envoy | Aggery Sabuni [4] |
The key agenda of the meeting was the EU-EAC Economic partnership agreement. Museveni reiterated that countries such as Kenya and Rwanda that have signed the agreement should not be penalized by the European Union and the countries that have not signed the agreement can not sign the agreement pending various clarifications from the EU. Museveni agreed to lead a delegation of the bloc economic members to Europe to solve various disagreements. [5]
The Burundian unrest was discussed as one of the problems during the tenure of John Magufuli and that not much progress has been made to resolve the issue. The summit was not attended by Pierre Nkurunziza, president of Burundi. The delay in the resolution was attributed to the lack of motivation between the disputed parties to negotiate a settlement. [6] Furthermore, the leaders iterated the EU to lift sanctions on Burundi. [5]
The leaders read the report on the admission criteria of Somalia into the East African community. Various local leaders warned against the admission of the war torn country until the country can fix its security issues. [7]
Burundi originated in the 16th century as a small kingdom in the African Great Lakes region. After European contact, it was united with the Kingdom of Rwanda, becoming the colony of Ruanda-Urundi - first colonised by Germany and then by Belgium. The colony gained independence in 1962, and split once again into Rwanda and Burundi. It is one of the few countries in Africa to be a direct territorial continuation of a pre-colonial era African state.
Eriya Kategaya was a Ugandan lawyer and politician. At the time of his death he was Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs. He was also an ex officio Member of the Ugandan Parliament, on account of being a cabinet minister.
The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the African Great Lakes region in East Africa: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Uhuru Kenyatta, the president of Kenya, is the current EAC chairman. The organisation was founded in 1967, collapsed in 1977, and was revived on 7 July 2000.
The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is a public university in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa (UEA) in 1963, shortly after Tanzania gained its independence from the United Kingdom. In 1970, UEA split into three independent universities: Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and the University of Dar es Salaam.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB) was established by the United Nations Security Council to support the government of Burundi in its efforts towards long-term peace and stability and to replace the work of United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB). Its mandate was scheduled to begin on 1 January 2007 for an initial 12 months, and its creation and mission was as a result of recommendations in a report by the Secretary-General.
The East African Federation is a proposed political union of the seven sovereign states of the East African Community – Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda – as a single federated sovereign state. In September 2018, a committee was formed to begin the process of drafting a regional constitution, and a draft constitution for the confederation was set to be written by the end of 2021 with its implementation by 2023; however, it is likely that this deadline will be missed.
In 1962, the United States established diplomatic relations with Burundi when it gained its independence from Belgium. Following independence, the country experienced political assassinations, ethnic violence, and cyclical periods of armed conflict; several governments were installed through coups. The 2000 Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement provided a negotiated settlement framework that, along with later ceasefire agreements, led to the end of the 1993-2006 civil war. President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to seek a third presidential term in 2015 sparked protests in the capital and was followed by a failed coup d’état. The resultant violence and political and economic crises resulted in massive refugee flows to neighboring countries. The United States Embassy in Burundi's policy states: "The United States supports the achievement of long-term stability and prosperity in Burundi through broad, inclusive reconciliation; humanitarian assistance; economic growth; and the promotion of political openness and expansion of democratic freedoms. The United States supports the East African Community (EAC)-facilitated Burundian dialogue and other conflict resolution efforts within Burundi. The United States seeks to facilitate Burundi's deeper integration into regional and international markets, as a means to promote sustainable economic development."
The African Free Trade Zone (AFTZ) is a free trade zone announced at the EAC-SADC-COMESA Summit on 22 October 2008 by the heads of Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC). The African Free Trade Zone is also referred to as the African Free Trade Area in some official documents and press releases.
Nuwe Amanya Mushega, commonly known as Amanya Mushega, is a Ugandan lawyer, politician, diplomat, and civil servant. He served as the secretary general of the East African Community (EAC) from 2001 until 2006.
Presidential elections were held in Burundi on 21 July 2015. President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term despite controversy over whether he was eligible to run again. The opposition boycotted the vote, and Nkurunziza won re-election.
On 25 April 2015, the ruling political party in Burundi, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), announced that the incumbent President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, would run for a third term in the 2015 presidential election. The announcement sparked protests by those opposed to Nkurunziza seeking a third term in office.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), also known as the Uganda–Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline (UTCOP), is under construction and intended to transport crude oil from Uganda's oil fields to the Port of Tanga, Tanzania on the Indian Ocean. Once completed, the pipeline will be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world. Because of the large scale displacement of communities and wildlife, global environmental groups are protesting its construction and finance.
Libérat Mfumukeko is a Burundian diplomat and civil servant. He served as the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) from 2 March 2016 to 2 March 2021, replacing Richard Sezibera.
Burundi–Tanzania relations are bilateral relations between Burundi and Tanzania. Burundi is a strategic partner of Tanzania in many areas, particularly trade. Since Burundi is a landlocked country, almost 80% of its goods are moved through by road to Dar es Salaam Port. Tanzania has also been a strategic partner in mediating the political tensions in the country.
The 17th EAC Extra Ordinary summit was held on 8 September 2016 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The summit was held with regards to the European Union and East African Community Economic Partnership agreement. Furthermore, the unrest in Burundi and South Sudan was discussed.
Burundi–India relations refers to the international relations that exist between Burundi and India. Apart from bilateral relations, India also engages with Burundi through the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
Countries of the East African Community (EAC) include Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan. These nations fall below par in different measures of economic activities such as GDP per capita, population below the poverty line, unemployment, and trade. The East African Community has made an effort to bolster trade through enhancing co-operation economically, socially, and politically within the member nations. "The aim of EAC is to gradually establish among themselves a Customs Union, a Common Market, a Monetary Union, and ultimately a Political Federation of the East African States." East African Community countries also have active trade to other parts of the world, like the European Union. Each country is a part of the World Trade Organization except for South Sudan who remains out of this conglomeration. As of 2014, these six countries have a combined GDP of $159.5 billion, GDP per capita of $918, total population of 168.5 million, total import $40.2 billion, and total export $13.6 billion. These countries become much stronger as a part of the community as they become a larger market for trade outside of the bloc. Also, the bloc allows for free trade between the member countries helping not only producers who have more options to sell their product but also consumers who have more cheap goods. It is always important for fish to be in fresh water lakes
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