Rwanda’s Minister of Interior, Vincent Biruta, has urged representatives from the East African Community (EAC) partner states to accelerate the implementation of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) under the peace and security cluster. Biruta made the call on Wednesday, January 29, as ministers from the Mutual Peace and Security Cooperation Cluster of NCIP, met in Kigali, representing Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. The Northern Corridor – covering 1,700 kilometres – runs from Mombasa to Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda through the port of Mombasa. It is the main route for the transport of the bulk of cargo that lands at the Indian Ocean ports bound for the five landlocked EAC partner states. The meeting aimed to review, consolidate, and adopt the outcomes of the Permanent Secretaries/Undersecretaries meetings held earlier in the day, in preparation for the upcoming Heads of State Summit. Uganda’s Minister of State for Internal Affairs, David Muhoozi, said that despite a six-year hiatus in hosting the meetings, there is renewed hope for success in implementation of the Northern Corridor projects. “With determination and unity of purpose, we shall definitely catch up on lost time,” he said. “Development, infrastructure, economic stability, and free movement of persons and goods, all depend on a healthy peace and security environment among the partner states, which contributes to regional socio-economic development as well as stability and prosperity.” ALSO READ: Northern corridor peace, security meet in Kigali to explore new areas of cooperation Since 2018, Biruta said, the Northern Corridor Integration Projects, stalled due to different reasons, incliding Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the momentum that was started with. The Rwandan minister underscored the importance of ensuring that the initiatives, spearheaded by the Heads of State, are successfully implemented, ultimately benefiting citizens as intended. “Since we are now resuming, it is our role as ministers to act as the engine to expedite the implementation of initiated projects under NCIP, Peace and Security Cluster, to make sure their initiators (Heads of States) can see them realised and citizens are enjoying as expected,” Biruta said. “I therefore recommend each partner state to cross-check the projects it has to implement and develop appropriate implementation plan for their execution within a set deadline for the good of our citizens,” he observed. Disaster management and crisis response Under the Northern Corridor Integration Projects, the partner states bound by the need to develop capacity and capabilities to deal with disaster risks, signed a memorandum of understanding on disaster management and crisis response in December 2018. According to the agreement, the countries undertook to cooperate in four areas. They include data and disaster management-related information sharing, joint response to disaster and crisis, management of common disaster risks and setting common mitigation and preparedness measures, as well as sharing of experiences and best practices in managing disasters across all phases. They agreed on establishing a common Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Platform, composed of the disaster management bodies in member states at both ministerial and technical levels. The platform’s responsibilities include reviewing and harmonising hazard maps, harmonising, setting mechanisms to share early warning information, data and any other disaster concerns within individual countries and the larger Northern Corridor. ALSO READ: EALA pushes for disaster preparedness Combating wildlife and environmental crimes In December 2018, the partner states signed a memorandum of understanding on combating wildlife and other environmental crimes. The purpose of the MoU was to establish a framework for cooperation on combating wildlife and other environmental crimes among the partner states within their respective jurisdictions and subject to the laws and regulations governing them. ALSO READ: Rwanda to deploy drones in fighting environmental crimes The partner states agreed to cooperate in areas including the establishment of a coordinated strategy to embrace joint operations, investigations and prosecution in accordance with existing laws and agreements. They also agreed on capacity building within partner states to combat wildlife crime through specialised training and sharing best practices, and the development and establishment of joint information exchange systems and intelligence sharing on wildlife and other environmental crimes.
