Peace And Security In The Eastern African Region: Perspectives And Ways Ahead

Abstract

The issue of peace and security has become central to the concepts of conflict prevention and crisis management. In East Africa, particularly, th is issue broadly covers the complexity of contemporary conflicts in this part of Africa. It is important to note that security cannot be ach ieved without addressing the causes of instability and that sustainable development can on ly occur within a secure and peaceful environment. Furthermore, internal security cannot thrive in an atmosphere of regional instability. The importance of African union workin g together with regional and sub regional organizations in promoting peace are widely acknowl edged and in recent years, closer cooperation and coordination have been fostered. However, the mechanisms employed have often proved unable to reconcile the multifaceted dimensions of peace and security including: Impove rishment and unemployment, environmental degradation and pollution, corruption and ethnic di scrimination, as well as eroding state institutions, which can all cause despair, frustrat ion, fuel extremism and bring violence, leading to insecurity. This paper tries to address these challenges. It f urther gives proposals to a more comprehensive, multilateral approach which could be advanced and t hat can appeal to a wider spectrum of actors including local, national, regional and internation al organizations, as well as NGOS and civil societies. It also emphacizes the fact that promoti ng peace and stability in this religion effectively, still poses a major challenge. Thus, a strong need exists for further research and insight from the professional and academic domains to better understand the complexity of contemporary conflicts.