Writes leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
The United Republic of Tanzania has been ranked the most peaceful member states of the East African Community {EAC} in a recently published survey.
The survey, the Global Peace Index 2010, ranks the East African country ahead of EAC, peers with a peace index of 1, 832.However,in overall ranking ,Tanzania is at position 55 out of 149 states surveyed.
The study was done by the Australian-based Institute for Economic and Peace focusing on indicators such as internal peace relations with neighboring countries and military spending.
Second in the region is Rwanda with a peace index of 2,012 and at position 75 overall. The higher index score, the least peaceful a nation is.
In overall ranking, Uganda took position 100, Kenya 120 and Burundi 131 follow in that order with index of 2,369 and 2,577 respectively.
The finding may be of significance to investors as peace and stability are crucial characteristics of a prospective investment destination.
In the ranking, Kenya and Burundi find themselves among the bottom 20 per cent of the countries that were surveyed alongside Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Ethiopia among others.
Kenya’s position is only 28 places above that of Iraq, which Burundi is even worse 18 places above Iraq, Somalia.
Kenya’s war-torn neighbor is the second least peaceful nation, with an index of 3,390.
The finding, seem close to a recent World Bank survey which found that Rwanda was the EAC region least best business destination.
However, the Bank survey, which also indicated Burundi as the least conducive place for business and was based mainly on economic indicators, such as how easy it was to register a business and tax regimes.
Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the report, is the least peaceful with an average peace index of 2.23.
For war-torn countries Somalia, Sudan, Chad and Democratic Republic of Congo continue to occupy the lowest 10 positions in the index and each experienced deterioration in their scores,“ it says.
Botswana fares best in Sub-Saharan Africa, at position 33.The report attributes this to a reduction in the proportion of its population in jail.
“The country’s military capability is limited, as it is free of internal conflict, and low scores for most measures of safety and security point to a relatively harmonious society, although the homicide rate is high.”
In Africa, Tanzania took the top position with a peace index of 1678,it ranked 37 overall of all countries surveyed.
Globally, the report says, New Zealand is ranked as the country most at peace for the second consecutive year, followed by Ireland sand Japan, while Iraq is last for the fourth year running.
The report acknowledged that “This concept of peace is notoriously difficult to define”. However, the survey considered a measurement of peace as the “absence of violence.”
It thus sought to determine what cultural attributes and institutions are associated with states of peace and relied on 23 indicators.
The survey, which focused on an going domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society and militarization, also says that the world has become slightly less peaceful in the past year.
The survey registered “overall increases in several indicators, including the likelihood of violent demonstrations and perceptions and of criminality.”In some nations, an intensification of conflicts and growing instability appears to be linked to the global economic downturn in late 2008 and early 2009,”says the reports.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com