The Horn of Africa Appeals for Peace and Development

Kidane Kiros Bitsue

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The Horn of Africa Appeals for Peace and Development

Kidane Kiros Bitsue

Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia

Distinguished participants,

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank the management of the Chinese Peoples’ Association for Peace and Disarmament (CPAPD) for inviting me to speak at this important day which is a Commemorative Event for the International Day of Peace 2018. I also would like to use this opportunity to thank the Chinese people for their hospitality and decency.

Today, I will briefly speak on the “Conflict and Big Powers Involvement in the Horn of Africa and its Implications to Global Security Governance”.

Traditionally, the Horn of Africa denotes the peninsula in the northeastern part of Africa, comprising four countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. But the Greater Horn of Africa comprises eight countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, and Uganda. It accommodates some 300 million inhabitants on a 4.5million km2, corresponding roughly to Western Europe. The region is diverse in culture with more than 100 ethnic groups but with linguistic and ethnic connection. The Horn of Africa has been a scene of human tragedy as a result of a combination of war, famine & drought that have resulted in unimaginable deaths, risks & displacement.People in this region are among the poorest in the world

Distinguished Participants, ladies and gentlemen:

I would like to bring your attention to the fact that the region is a source, as well as an area of transit and of destination of mixed migratory flows, and a centre of migratory routes towards Europe, the Gulf countries and the Middle East, and Southern Africa. It is affected by the challenges of irregular migration, forced displacement, trafficking in human beings, smuggling of people and violent conflict, which hosts the largest number of internally displaced persons and refugees in Africa, and one of the biggest in the world. The Horn of Africa generally lacks socio-economic opportunities; and is characterized by prevalence of poverty, instability and climate change.

Despite weak standing of the countries of the Horn of Africa, the Region is strategically important, especially, to Africa, Europe and Asia. Location of the countries in the Horn of Africa controls passage from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean; political control of these countries permits logistical access to other countries in both North and Central Africa, as well as to the Arabian Peninsula & the Middle East. One of the major sea lanes communication and choke points in the world is found in this Region. Moreover, the Region is located at the southern part of the artery of global trade – the Red Sea. Up to 95% of European Union member states’ trade (by volume) is transported by sea, and 20% of the global trade passes through the Gulf of Aden. Thus, the Horn of Africa attracts a considerable effort from international players to safeguard trade through this strategic area.

However, the Horn of Africa continues to witness a complex and overwhelming security challenges. It remains to be a geographical space for regional and international powers, while it is known for plagues such as maritime piracy, forced migration, humanitarian crisis, and war. Even when numerous regional actors are committed to peacebuilding or support operations, the region remains the most conflict-torn of the continent as a result of different forms of war: interstate, intra-state, by proxy. In addition to the three forms of wars mentioned above, the security situation of the region has become more complicated due to its global dimension.

Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen:

The Region has recently become an easy playground for players outside the region and outside Africa. The recent expansion of the Gulf crisis into the Horn of Africa has more complicated the situation. Currently, the following countries have either a commercial port or military base, or both: USA in Djibouti; China in Djibouti; France in Djibouti; United Arab Emirates in Assab (Eritrea) and Berbera, Bosaso, Mogadishu and Barawe in Somalia; Turkey in Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia; Saudi Arabia in Djibouti; and Japan in Djibouti. Although some of the powers that have bases came into the region in a pretext of containing piracy and securing the commercial shipping lanes in the area, there is a concern that this may lead into confrontation among countries that established bases, or with countries in the region. Coupled with the volatile nature of the Horn of Africa, the presence of big and emerging powers has created national and regional security concerns among the countries in the Region.

Finally, one reason why the Horn of Africa has become increasingly tense is the absence of common interests and policies in different issue domains among the powers involved in the region. To avert the looming danger in the region, an arrangement has to be made to bring a convergence of security policies of the big powers involved and countries in the region which favors flexibility over rigidity; prefers voluntary measures to binding rules; and privileges partnership over individual actions since these are the accepted wisdoms of global security governance following globalization, the end of the Cold War and increased involvement of non-state actors in global affairs. Moreover, following the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea (until recently the two most conflict actors in the region), the national economies’ integration of countries in the Region should be speeded up to ensure regional interest through developing their negotiation and persuasion capability.

Thank you!