EA defence chiefs may send military to countries in crisis

Critics, especially opposition politicians, have expressed fears that the outcome of those elections could trigger a volatile situation in the region.

In Uganda, the main opposition flagbearer, Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change, has already warned of severe consequences should there fail to be fair play.  

It is because of such fears that the defence chiefs of the region have agreed to conclude the defence protocol and have it approved by the Summit by June this year so it can be ratified before the year winds up. 

Uganda’s Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga, who presided over the Kampala meeting that looked at ways to upgrade the Memorandum of Understanding into the Protocol, requested that the final draft proposals be presented to the Sectoral Council of Defence much earlier than the designated date of May.