5.3 Recommendations
Governments of the East African sub region must be able to
strengthen their governance capacity, support committed reformers, and
strengthen the ability of citizens to monitor public functions and hold leaders
accountable for providing safety, effective public services, and efficient use
of public resources. This can be achieved through; the practical implementation
of new and ground breaking conventions and protocols that define and promote
international standards and create roadmaps for domestic implementation. And
also, through the use of a broad range of bilateral, regional and global
training and technical assistance programs aimed at strengthening the law
enforcement and prosecutorial capacity of our foreign partners, and their
capacity to implement those shared standards and best practices.
The all East Africa governments need to adopt and implement
the United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime and
Corruption (and its Protocols). The importance of these international
instruments is that they create a broad framework for mutual legal assistance,
extradition and law enforcement cooperation and the Convention Against
Corruption contains an innovative chapter that promotes international
cooperation for asset recovery cases.
Organized criminal groups or individuals carry out their
illicit activities using major technological tools such as information
networks, the financial system and other sophisticated means. With this reason,
there is need for the EAC Partner States to strengthen public private
partnerships in the fight against individual and organized crime and corruption
in the society which will be a form of eradication of cross border crime in the
region. In a globalized world, where illicit criminal activities and their
actors, threaten both our international security and private sector interests,
public and private non-governmental entities can be crucial allies. A number of
international NGOs and private firms have already been helpful in terms of
bringing to light important issues such as corruption in the extractive
industries and illegal logging, the production and trafficking of counterfeit
goods, and trafficking in persons, and others. NGOs may also transform
themselves into engines of capacity building in the developing world.
Regional governments must strengthen their national criminal
justice systems. This could be done through a co-ordinated and comprehensive
response systems based on a number of measures. One is, measures that address
the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, and through measures that
prevent and combats terrorism.
The legislatures of the different sub-regional states should
work to put in place an Act that will deal with the increasing activities of
terrorism. This could be done within the broad framework of the East African
Community (EAC).
Measures are being taken to prevent and control border threats
to ensure security at Gatuna border. Lack of commitments on the part of the
government and all stakeholders in the business of border security to
contribute their quota to find concrete and lasting solutions to the problems
explains different anomalies.
-There is a need for forces to identify the extent and nature
of cross border crime in their areas; this will be helpful to protect Gatuna
border and our national interest and even EAC interests.
-The Member States especially Rwanda and Uganda, the two
neighboring of Gatuna border need strong collaboration and cooperation between
the border agencies and their counterparts in neighboring countries to
strengthen their ability to provide fast and efficient services. This
cooperation will be very important to tackle border tax fraud, smuggling and
immigration crime, high risk individuals, drugs, weapons and other harmful
goods from entering the country.
The issue of language barrier to most of the officials
stationed at the borders. As established, Gatuna is crossed by people from the
whole region and are characterized by different languages most of them use
English Swahili and French Speaking and therefore needs officials who can
communicate effectively in all those languages.
-Where specific problems of cross border offending are
identified neighboring forces should look to establish collaborative
arrangements along the lines identified.
-Consider strengthening cooperation among border control
agencies by, inter alia, establishing and maintaining direct channels of
communication.
-Encourage States to criminalize the financing of terrorism in
accordance with resolution 1373 (2001) and the Convention
-Encourage States not only to become party to all the
international counter-terrorism instruments, but also to
incorporate the elements of those instruments into domestic law
-Forces should consider appointing inter-force liaison
officers, setting up short term exchanges and/or secondments of officers and
mounting more joint operations. By doing this networking opportunities for
officers can be developed and exploited to the full, thus improving the
prospects for future co-operation.
-Encourage States to strengthen their legal framework
encourage them to continue enhancing border security at points of entry in
order to prevent the illegal cross- border movement of
persons, cargo and arms/explosives, as well as currency and other bearer
instruments, and to implement the international best codes and standards
established by specialized agencies.
- EAC Partner States shall take measures as may be necessary,
within available means, to extradite an offender who committed a crime in one
of the Partner States and to have a trial where he committed the offence and
there should be joint collaboration, trainings and information exchange to
provide an opportunity for fast tracking cross border crimes and criminals.
-Promote best practices and facilitate capacity-building and
training for members of the judiciary, law enforcement
agencies and other relevant civil servants in procedures for
requesting and offering assistance in criminal investigations, mutual legal
assistance and extradition matters
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