Owusu on Africa: Overlapping regionalism and emerging powers in the 21st Century: Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda

By Fidel Amakye Owusu

Integration in Africa was one of the pressing topics in the 1950s and 1960s. At a point, disagreement over how to achieve it created ideological blocs on the continent.

Groups such as the Casablanca and Monrovia blocs were formed behind ideas of solid continental political union, and that of a gradual process towards a union.

The latter won. Consequently, a regional organization based mainly on geography was proposed.

Bodies like the East African Community (EAC); Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Arab Maghreb Union, AMU were formed.

The idea was, that these would speed up integration at the regional levels and ultimately lead to a continental union.

This notwithstanding, IGAD, EAC and ECCAS have overlapping membership that has led to some countries emerging as powerful inter-regional actors.

How is that?

While “some” African states had in the past intervened in the domestic conflicts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) by taking sides, the recent interest shown by Kenya and Rwanda and to some extent, Uganda is quite intriguing.

Are African-led interventions the way to go?

Kenya is a member of the EAC and IGAD. In July 2022, the DR Congo joined the EAC. With the largest economy and a relatively powerful military, it has sent troops to resource-rich eastern DR Congo against the March 23 Movement (M23) and other militants. Yes, Nairobi finds it legitimate to intervene in an EAC member state.

In 2011 Kenya intervened in Somalia and dislodged the al-Shabaab militants from their strongholds. While Somalia is not an EAC member, it is a member of IGAD with Kenya.

Another state emerging as a strong power in the overlapping region is Rwanda. Despite a good economy, Rwanda is not as economically strong as Kenya. It is landlocked and small in size. However, it has over time proven to have one of the most consequential military forces on the continent.

Its forces are in the Central African Republic to stabilize the resource-rich but politically troubled country. The two countries are both members of ECCAS. More significantly, Rwanda is one of the countries that intervened in Mozambique against ISIS affiliates. It is not a member state of SADC—the regional body Mozambique belongs.

Uganda, a member of both IGAD and EAC, the country has over the years engaged in some consequential interventions. It had intervened in Somalia after al-Shabaab “took over” in the 2000s, and has for years shown interest in DR Congo. It is involved in the current intervention in eastern DR Congo.

Are African-led interventions the way to go? Are there no strings attached?”

Fidel Amakye Owusu is an International Relations and Security Analyst. He is an Associate at the Conflict Research Consortium for Africa and has previously hosted an International Affairs program with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He is passionate about Diplomacy and realizing Africa’s global potential and how the continent should be viewed as part of the global collective.