Somalia has renewed its interest in joining the East African Community (EAC). Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who is the president wants to join EAC to create a relationship between Somalia and neighboring nations. 2012 and 2017, Mr. Mohamud tried to join the EAC, but the organization originally rejected his application, blaming occasional warfare and porous institutions in Somalia.
The 21st Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State meeting was held in Arusha on Thursday, 2022 President Mohamud is intending to go and seek support to join the East African Community (EAC).
For a country to become a member of the East Africa Community there are various conditions that a nation needs to adhere to. These prerequisites include respecting democratic ideals, upholding the rule of law, respecting human rights, and upholding other civil liberties. The Members of EAC are Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and the then-President of Somalia Mohamed Farmajo submitted an application in 2019. In February of last year, the union voted to start accepting Kinshasa but postponed a decision on Mogadishu while a team of experts checks and verifies Somalia’s readiness. The summit noted that the verification exercise for the admission of the Federal Republic of Somalia into the East Africa Community had not been undertaken and directed the Council to follow up on the process.
The majority of the current EAC members as well as Somalia are already members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), a trading bloc made up of 21 nations in the north, east, central, and southern Africa. Due to its extensive coastline, Somalia might offer further maritime access, and Somalis could gain from having unrestricted travel throughout the region as opposed to the current scenario where they require a visa.
The region may also be absorbing a similar issue due to Somalia’s security issues, which include a resurgent Al-Shabaab. The East African Community elected President Uhuru Kenyatta to serve as its chairperson in 2019. Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki of Kenya is the Community’s new Secretary-General for a non-renewable five-year term.
