ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia and the UK have launched the Deris Wanaag peace and security borderlands program in Jijiga, Somali State as the later committed 10 million GBP to realize the project in the coming three years.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Somali State President Mustafe Omar highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation in addressing the drivers of instability in the Horn of Africa, where many of the socioeconomic dynamics are shared across the borders, according to the statement sent to The Ethiopian Herald.

A representative from the British Embassy reportedly said that stability in Ethiopia is a core priority for the UK that’s how the country committed the 10 million finance for the program.

The Deris Wanaag team also outlined the planned focus on integrating national responses to insecurity, supporting conflict resolution structures, and aligning development and peace building activity across the three countries – a reflection of the program titled Deris Wanaag, a Somali idiom meaning ‘good neighborliness’.

According to the statement, the program supports effective policy and programming, strengthens formal and informal resilience-building mechanisms and addresses community needs to mitigate against drivers of instability and violent extremism.

The UK government said in the statement that the Deris Wanaag program aims to support Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya in bolstering resilience against violent extremism in the borderland regions of the countries.

The UK-funded the program mainly to support effective policy and programing, informed by a comprehensive understanding of the conflict and violent actor dynamics, structures and actors, strengthen formal and informal resilience-building mechanisms, and address community needs to mitigate against drivers of instability and violent extremism, it added.

The program will leverage the UK’s strategic partnerships in the region and build on the successes of previous activity in the region to ensure that security, development, and peace building efforts bring real benefit to the communities in the border areas, according to the statement.

The launching of the program in Jijiga aimed at bringing together government officials from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, and discuss priority areas for implementation, it was learnt.

BY MESERET BEHAILU

SOURCE: THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD