The World Economic Outlook projects that the next four to five years will register the lowest global growth in decades with emerging and developing countries projected to continue to record lower than average growth rates, which is a concern for a region that has suffered decades of historic injustices, especially in terms of poor and exploitative terms of trade. The African Union and African Regional Economic Communities have continued to rely heavily on funding from external partners to support their programmes, which has been dwindling and expected to continue to diminish both in the face of declining economic growth and the global challenges posed by conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. Amid all this, the African and COMESA region, continue to witness deadly conflicts, notably the conflicts in Sudan and eastern DRC. While other parts of the region grapple with the unprecedented effects of climate change, for example, the COMESA Policy Organs, which convened in June 2023 included in its agenda, discussions around ‘the longest-lived’ tropical cyclone ever recorded in the world that landed in Southern Africa in February and March 2023 and the ‘longest and most severe’ drought in four decades that was witnessed in the Horn of Africa from 2019 through to 2023. The effects of climate change, which have a multiplier effect on the peace and prosperity dynamics can only be expected to get worse. These were felt into 2024 with some countries experiencing extended periods of load-shedding due to droughts, all of which could slow down the industrialisation dream.
While this may sound like a doom and gloomy situation, it might also be the wake-up call that the region so badly needs to hear to cause it to review and reposition, especially recognising that its development partners are also increasingly also faced with the consequences of diminishing resources globally. The region will therefore need to reposition by looking internally to draw from the wealth of the highly skilled citizens of COMESA and Africa at large to turn the tide and ultimately hopefully also reverse the paradox which has the richest continent, in terms of natural resources, still referred to as the poorest in terms of economic development and the living standards of its people. The International Relations Society of Kenya (IRSK), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) recognise the knowledge, skill and potential that is resident within the region and have therefore, since 2023, taken on the role of convening scholars to provide policy makers the tools that can first reduce the decline and ultimately turn the region around. This special issue of the AJCR contains some of the papers that featured in the first annual conference, which was held on 25th – 27th October 2023.
A summary of the articles in this issue is as follows: The East African Community Regional Force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Successes, Challenges and Prospects by Kizito Sabala and Vyalirendi Jacques Muhindo examines the intervention of the East African Community (EAC) regional bloc in the intractable military/political crisis in eastern DRC. By examining the mandate and its actual operation, the paper concludes that the Regional Force (RF) made little gains in finally pacifying eastern DRC.
The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend: Ethiopia-Eritrea Relations and the 2020 Conflict in the Tigray Region in Ethiopia by Beria Mutinda Musau discusses the involvement of the Eritrean state in the conflict between the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Federal Government of Ethiopia that broke out in November 2020. In the conflict, Eritrea fought on the same side with the Ethiopian government forces against the TPLF. The paper argues that the TPLF had become a common enemy for both governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia, thus the formation of the alliance against it. According to the article, the alliance was in following the adage: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”.
Terminating Insurgency in Mozambique: Reflections on the SADC Mission in Mozambique by Oita Etyang, Lweendo Kambela and Stephen Muleya examines the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) intervention, the SADC Mission in Mozambique, (SAMIM) in the insurgency ridden Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique. The paper traces the history of the intervention and the challenges that the mission faced before its eventual withdrawal. The main conclusion of the paper inter alia is that SADC needs to adopt a human security approach while dealing with issues of insecurity in the member states.
Lastly, Maintaining Regional Stability amid Complex Regime Transitions in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for COMESA Member States by Mumo Nzau using the Neofunctionalism and Liberal Institutionalism theories of International Relations, examines the question of how best to ensure and/or maintain regional stability in the midst of complex regime transitions. The paper concludes by noting that a significant number of COMESA member states have grappled with varying degrees of political instability, complex regime transitions and election-related tensions, which have posed formidable challenges to the region’s prospects for prosperity. Therefore, there is a need to support democratic institutions, mediate conflicts, promote good governance and accountability, provide economic assistance and address the root causes of complex regime transitions through human rights and sustainable development.
Finally, this collection of articles addresses contemporary security issues in the wider COMESA region and should therefore be of interest to academics and practitioners alike.
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*Professor Kasaija Apuuli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
** Ms. Elizabeth Mutunga is a Program Coordinator at COMESA.