--- On Fri, 17/4/09, Akujo Amonye <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Akujo Amonye <[email protected]> Subject: Fw: [email protected] has sent you a New Vision News Article! To: "kadara kursum" <[email protected]> Date: Friday, 17 April, 2009, 5:06 PM We are peaceful souls. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: New Vision Online Division <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, 17 April, 2009 17:48:53 Subject: [email protected] has sent you a New Vision News Article! Hi there! [email protected] thought you might be interested in this article from The New Vision online: http://www.newvision.co.ug They also added this comment: "" What does EA treaty say about shared resources? By Stephen Asiimwe By 1884/5, the conference at Berlin decided to share Africa like bread. The impact of slicing Africa has continued to East Africa (Uganda vs. Kenya). Recently, a delegation from Kenya was in Uganda for talks in order to solve the question of the tiny island floating on Lake Victoria. Some experts on the floating island are wondering whether it is about Uganda or Kenya’s side. What does the East African treaty say on the common resources that member states share? What if some fish want to cross from Uganda to Kenya, do they need a passport or visa? Is Migingo Island a classic example of rhetoric in favour of regional integration? Boundary disputes in Africa relate to the way European colonial powers curved up the continent for themselves and here the implications are hard to sort out. The row over Migingo Island in Lake Victoria could turn out to be such. The island may not be of obvious strategic importance, it’s rocky, tiny and nothing grows on it but it is no small pumpkin, it is a fishing island that could have strategic value like any other island. We pray that leaders in the two states resolve this matter without a lot of hullabaloo otherwise it sends bad signals for anticipated regional integration, the issue of the distance from the borders of both countries does not hold water since all countries are aspiring to become one. Let us not even attempt to go to court ,the experience on the continent is not good e.g. the row between Botswana and Namibia over a small island in river Chobe was submitted to the international court of justice at the Hague in 1996 after the regional body, the southern Africa Development Community(SADC) failed to resolve it. It took the world court four years to settle it after 600 pages of hearings and 38,000 of written memorandums including 2,200 of historical documents and 80 copies of historical maps. In addition, six scientists involved in the case made written and oral presentations regarding the island’s hydrology, geomorphology, cartography and history all — necessary evidence in the adjudication. The dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon over the oil rich Bakasi peninsula also went to the world court in 1994 after 30 years of failure to resolve it with the intervention of regional leaders and institutions including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It took eight years of court hearings and submissions to be settled. The court ruled in favour of Cameroon but it took Nigeria several more years agonising whether or not to accept the ruling. Closer to East Africa, Ethopia and Eritrea went to war in 1998-2000 over a small town on the border called Badme. After the war, they agreed to have an international boundary commission the border, using old colonial maps the commission delimited the boundary in April 2002 and gave Badme to Eritrea which Ethiopia had administered for four years. Ethiopia is still administering Badme, arguing that the boundary commission acted in error; therefore it is important for leaders in the region to sort out Migingo Island soon. Otherwise it will be a bottleneck for the regional integration that has already reached appreciative stage. It took years of reconciliation, mediation and litigation to resolve other cases on the continent. If Migingo Island takes fifteen years to resolve then forget the integration. The writer is a pan africanist [lSend a topical opinion with your picture to [email protected]. We take 600 words only] You can also read the article online at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=8&newsCategoryId=459&newsId=678290
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