nngu007
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 2, 2010
- 15,862
- 5,797
| Monday, 06 August 2012 08:29 |
By The Citizen Reporters Dar es Salaam. As tension mounts over the "ownership" of Lake Nyasa saga pitting Malawi and Tanzania, the government has been advised to do its best and avoid the military option with its southern neighbour. Amid unconfirmed reports that both countries might have started military mobilisation, experts in international diplomacy and politicians who spoke to The Citizen yesterday said the government should act wisely and refrain from being drawn into a war in spite of the provocation "because no such option comes with a cheap price tag." Sources close to the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) hinted that soldiers from two barracks in the interior of the country have been mobilised and moved to those that are very close to the border with the southern neighbour. However, upon being reached separately for comment, both the minister for Defence and National Service, Mr Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, and the TPDF spokesperson, Col Kapambala Mgawe, distanced themselves from the reports. "Thank you for contacting me; however, all issues relating to the Malawi border row have been handed to Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe. I'd advise you to contact him regarding the government stand," Mr Nahodha said. "It's not proper for us to discuss military plans right now. We will notify the public on what is going on at the appropriate time," Col Mgawe said. For his part, the Mbozi West legislator, Mr Godfrey Zambi (CCM), said the statement by Malawi's Foreign Affairs ministry permanent secretary that the entire lake belongs to Malawi should not ‘anger' Tanzania authorities. "Although the declaration by the top Malawi official should alert our government, it's still wise to stick to diplomatic ways of resolving the matter," said. Mr Zambi, who raised the issue in Parliament last week, blamed the government for not seeking solutions to problems that have been there for many years. The two countries are currently embroiled in misunderstanding over the border between them. While Malawi claims that the entire Lake Nyasa – which separates the two countries – belongs to it, Tanzania has maintained that the border separating the two falls at the middle of the lake. Recently, tension over the border heightened after Malawi signed contracts with a number of foreign firms which seek to prospect for oil and gas in the lake – the whole lot of it. Tanzanians living on the lakeshore notified the authorities of foreign planes operated by the said oil companies as entering Tanzania's part of the airspace. The government asked Malawi to halt the exploration activities until the border issue was resolved. However, Mr Patrick Kabambe, Malawi's permanent secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to this request with the strong statement. His minister, Mr Ephraim M'ganda Chiume, also reiterated this position at a press conference last Friday saying that Malawi would not give "an inch of its land". Mr Chiume quoted Heligoland Treaty of 1890 signed by Germany and Britain – Malawi and Tanzania's old colonial masters, as the basis of his country's current position. In reaction, the minister for East African Cooperation, Mr Samuel Sitta, who spoke in his position as Leader of Government business in Parliament, said last Thursday that Tanzania would not be intimidated by Malawi on the issue. He assured residents living along the lake, who depend on it for their daily livelihood, to continue with their activities without fear because the government would ensure their safety and security. MP Zambi said military confrontation with Malawi should be the last resort towards resolving the dispute, which has been there for decades. "During the former presidents Mkapa (Benjamin) and Muluzi (Bakili) administrations the relation between the two countries was very good and the chance should have been used to resolve the dispute but the government wasn't serious about it," said he. Our efforts yesterday to reach the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister, Mr Bernard Membe, for comment on the issue failed. For his part, Prof Mwesiga Baregu warned both countries not to engage in military confrontation. Rather, said the Professor in Political Science and International Relations, the two countries should resolve the dispute diplomatically. "Both countries should not be drawn into military action because the consequence of doing so is very dire not only to Tanzania and Malawi but for the entire Sadc (Southern Africa Development Community) region," warned Prof Baregu. But Prof Baregu said since the problem has existed for many years, it was time the two countries reached an amicable solution to end the dispute. He said if the negotiation with the Malawi government won't bear fruit, the government should take the issue before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). "This dispute isn't an isolated case, the same happened between Cameroon and Nigeria where the two countries were fighting over the ownership of the oil- and fish-rich Bakassi peninsula but the issue was resolved in the ICJ where the ownership was granted to Cameroon," said Prof Mwesiga. The Civic United Front (CUF) national chairman, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba, echoed Prof Baregu's stand insisting that the quarrel should be resolved once and for all. "I believe Tanzania has got a point on claiming that part of the lake belongs to it, but I believe in diplomatic approach rather than a military one is the way forward," said Prof Lipumba as he fielded questions at a press conference yesterday. Prof Abdallah Safari, a lawyer and expert in international relations, urged both countries to respect the international laws which show boundaries between countries. According to Prof Safari as per the 1884 Berlin Conference the boundary between Tanzania and Malawi is at the middle of Lake Nyasa and not any other way around. "The Malawians understand that the boarder is at the middle of the lake but they just want to quarrel with us, they should adhere to the international laws," said he. Prof Safari added that many boarder conflicts in the world are caused by violation of international laws due to selfishness by one party. "I remember there was a conflict between Libya and Chad where Libya wanted to grab Aouzou Strip which is said to have rich uranium deposits but the strip was given back to Chad by ICJ," said Prof Safari. Today Mr Membe is expected to issue a statement over the issue when he tabled his ministry Budget for 2012/13. |
