Somali president in Tanzania to push for EAC membership

Somalia has submitted requests two previous times since 2016 and this will be the third that is expected to yield fruit as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta throws weight behind the bid.

News Keydmedia Online
21 July 2022

ARUSHA, Tanzania - A high-level delation led by the newly elected president of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud touched down in Tanzania on Thursday on his 6th East Africa regional tour.

The office of the president confirmed that Mohamud joined the Heads of States of the Eastern African Community Countries for the High-level Retreat on Common Market and 22nd Ordinary Summit to reaffirm Somalia’s membership bid to the EAC bloc.

Somalia first submitted its request in 2016 under Hassan Sheikh's leadership and the second time was in 2019 during the second year of Farmajo in office as president. All attempts did not succeed.

This will be the third and final, according to the sources and it is expected to yield fruit as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta threw weight behind the bid after meeting with Hassan Sheikh in Nairobi.

If its bid is verified, Somalia will benefit from the free movement of people from DR Congo to other countries without a visa, in addition to the free movement of commercial goods.

DR Congo became the seventh member of the East African Community (EAC) on 11 July after depositing the instruments of ratification on the accession of the EAC Treaty.

According to the EastAfrican, the countries become members of the bloc when they meet certain conditions set out in the 1999 Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. Those conditions include respect for universal principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and other civil liberties.

The EAC partner states are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and DR Congo, the newest member. Somalia will become the 8th nation to join the trade bloc.

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