The Committee on East African Community (EAC) Affairs has called for the creation and deployment of a professional joint force at entry points of all partner states so as to end border conflicts.
The Committee, headed by Hon. James Nsaba Buturo argued that despite the existence of EAC protocols on peace and security, member states still grapple with civil unrest and border conflicts.
“The Protocol speaks to promoting peace, security, and stability within the Community and good neighborliness. However, little success has been registered evidenced by the insecurity among member states,” said Hon. Buturo while presenting the Committee Report on the 2025/2026 Budget Framework Paper for the Ministry of East African Community Affairs, on Thursday, 10 April 2025. This was during the plenary sitting chaired by Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa.
Buturo added, “These states face political and civil unrest time and again, the prevalent political turbulence including civil wars in DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], Southern Sudan, Somalia have negatively impacted economic development and regional integration.”
In Uganda, Buturo noted that cross-border traders have suffered the impact of instability in the region with some that have been killed while others have lost properties.
“Ugandan traders face endless hostility at the borders and inside member states. They are persecuted, killed, businesses sabotaged and destroyed especially in Rwanda, DRC and South Sudan,” he said.
He added that the current state of affairs undermines the spirit of integration, and proposed joint patrol teams to be deployed on all key roads to combat smuggling, murder of traders or suspects.
Lamwo County MP, Hon. Jallon Okullo, said his constituents struggle with South Sudanese, who disregard the border demarcations to encroach on Ugandan territory.
“One day, I took the Committee on EAC Affairs to my constituency. We found South Sudan nationals hunting squirrels and antelopes with spears and guns. Some [members] were afraid and went back to the vehicle,” said Okullo.
Okullo asked that the Ministry should consider erecting sign posts clearly indicating each states’ boundaries.
Tororo South County MP, Hon. Fredrick Angura, asked the EAC Ministry to sensitise the existing border authorities, who he said frustrate ordinary movements across borders.
The Minister of State for EAC Affairs, Ikuya Magode, said the ministry has programmes focused on harmonizing border relations.
He explained that “relationships between member states demand that every state exercises authority over all areas within its boundary and all outside people should conform to the rules of the state in which they operate,” said Magode.
Parliament asked Magode to enhance the ministry’s efforts to popularise the relevance of EAC which MPs said is not yet felt and appreciated.