Somalia, which has been looking for to affix the regional commerce bloc since 2012, turns into its eight member.
Somalia was admitted into the East African Group (EAC) on Friday because the eighth member of the bloc because it seeks to broaden free commerce throughout the area.
The entry of the delicate Horn of Africa nation, which has a inhabitants of 17 million, will increase the EAC market to greater than 300 million folks.
“We have decided to admit the Federal Republic of Somalia under the treaty of accession,” outgoing EAC chair, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, mentioned at a summit of the grouping in Tanzania.
Somalia – whose President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was on the summit – joined Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda within the regional bloc.
“Let us all embrace this new chapter in our history,” Mohamud’s chief financial adviser mentioned on X, the platform previously generally known as Twitter. “This moment is not just a culmination of our aspirations but a beacon of hope for a future full with possibilities and opportunities.”
The EAC, primarily based within the Tanzanian city of Arusha the place the summit was going down, was based in 2000 and works to encourage commerce by eradicating customs duties between member states.
It established a standard market in 2010.
Excluding Somalia, mixed EAC nations coated a land space of 4.8 million sq kilometres (1.8 million sq miles) and had a mixed gross home product of $305bn, based on the bloc’s web site. Whole EAC commerce was $78.75bn in 2022, it mentioned.
The final member the group admitted earlier than Somalia was the DRC, in April 2022.
Challenges
The admission of Somalia may portend extra safety challenges for the bloc because the nation is struggling to stem a lethal insurrection by the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group.
After making vital progress, Somalia’s offensive towards the armed group has stalled for months and raised considerations concerning the authorities’s capability to crush the 16-year insurrection.
EAC members Kenya and Uganda contribute troops to an African Union drive which was first deployed to Somalia in 2007 to crush al-Shabab.
In November final 12 months, the EAC additionally despatched troops into the restive east of the DRC, which had joined the bloc final 12 months, after the resurgence of the M23 insurgent group.
Mogadishu-based assume tank Heritage Institute for Coverage Research mentioned the entry of Somalia – which has been looking for to affix the bloc since 2012 – was a “pivotal leap” within the EAC’s growth throughout East Africa.
But it surely mentioned in a report earlier than the summit that Somalia’s “poor track record in governance, human rights and the rule of law” may hinder its clean integration into the bloc.
The nation has additionally been embroiled in disputes with its neighbours – Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya – typically resulting in a breakdown in diplomatic relations. Nonetheless, it has taken steps lately to restore regional ties.
