The Horn Of Africa States: A Better-Balanced Region – OpEd
The Horn of Africa States region, as we proposed long ago, as an integrated region is a complex matter and almost an impossible task, the way the countries of the region appear to be drifting apart. But setting them on a better-balanced path, though complex, is not an impossibility or an out of reach goal taking into consideration the socio-economic and political set up of the region as complemented by its histories and geography.
The region consists of the countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, which we call the SEED countries and if Sudan is added, it becomes the SEEDS countries. All the countries are marked by a serious of issues, which are similar in nature.
These include among others protracted wars both within and with other states in the region. Wars should normally be considered as arising from exceptional circumstances, but when they continue forever and without any particular objective, they become normalized, which appears to be the case of the conflicts of the Horn of Africa States region. From the winds of change, which started in the African continent, in the sixties of the last century to this year, the region has seen so many of these conflicts, which seem to have no end.
The region is again tainted by weak political institutions and authoritarian governance, which works through a wide array of disinformation directed at the citizenry of their own populations. These have allowed partisan NGOs, many of them with specific goals, not in favor of the region, to operate in the countries and fill the gaps the weaker governmental institutions were supposed to fill.
As is common in Africa, in the place of using the population of the region and its diversity, for the betterment of the social infrastructure of the region, ethnic differences have been used to divide and further subdivide the states of the region, which contributes to continuation of the conflicts of the region. These further allow foreign interferences from many other parts of the world, both near and far.
This has allowed international terrorism to find safe abodes in the region and to thrive. And because of the presence of these terrorist organizations, the region’s poverty, ethnic grievances and poor governance have worsened, opening more doors for multi-national NGOs interferences and hence weaker governmental institutions.
The region’s economy could have grown faster and better, had not the conflicts, the terrorism, the weaker governmental institutions and authoritarian regimes not being in the way. It still relies on agriculture mostly as the main economic engine, and this is exposed to fluctuations of commodity prices whether this is for harvested crops or livestock. Agriculture in the region is also affected by the continuing climate change, where droughts and famines have now become a more regular occurrence.
Because of historical wrongs committed long ago by non-regional parties, mostly European, there still continues mistrust among the governments of the states of the region. Such mistrust is the main cause of the current conflicts among the countries of the region, which could have been worked out through wisdom and understanding of the peculiarities of each state. Unfortunately, the states of the region all appear to be succumbing to external manipulations of the internal politics of the states of the region.
Is there a chance for a better-balanced region? This is a good question, but all depends on leaderships of the region. This is an achievable goal, which could have led to closer relations among the citizenry of the region, instead of cultivating hatred among them. It would have reduced the foreign interferences of the internal issues of the region and a better peace infrastructure, which could have allowed economic development, political maturity, and social cohesion to flourish.
It is where a regional platform would have played a fulcrum role. We proposed a Horn of Africa States (HAS) as an EU-model platform to have the states of the region work together instead of working against each other. An EU model requires that the HAS states finance its activities through a budgetary heading in their finances instead of relying on foreign party financings like the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) does or for that matter even the African Union or the East African Community. A budgetary heading would require a certain percentage of a state’s revenues be solely dedicated for the purpose, as part of the expenses of the state.
A shared platform would enable the region to develop shared infrastructures like ports, roads, rail and even airlines and this would allow the development of a common market to ease inter-regional trade. In the old days, there was always the trade between the highland farming regions and the low land trading and livestock rearing regions, which linked the whole region to the rest of the known worlds of those times. There is no reason why these old links cannot be recreated without foreign interferences manipulating the regions internal affairs.
A thriving economically buoyant region would always require a security framework to protect the fruits of the toils of the people. This would be a shield against foreign-inspired terrorism, piracy and even trafficking. It will also need to have a collective approach to climate change, joint responses to environmental degradation, water resources management, air pollution management, and others.
While the region is shaped by its complex array of issues, both historical and contemporary, and involving both internal and external nuances, there is no reason why it should not work together. Leaders have a great influence on their citizens and the directions the states of the region take, will largely depend on the directions and policies of the leaders. There is no reason why the leaders of the region cannot revisit their current policy frameworks to develop a common diplomatic, mutually respecting relations with other states of the region. This would not only safeguard each state but would greatly contribute to the wellbeing of the region.
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