Somalia set for signing of EAC accession treaty

The ceremony, to take place in Kampala, Uganda, will be presided over by the EAC chairperson, President Salva Kiir of South Sudan.

The Horn of Africa country joined the community as an eighth member during a recent summit of the heads of state held in Arusha.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda will witness the signing on behalf of the rest of the EAC Heads of State. The event in the Ugandan capital will also be attended by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

“The signing of the Accession Treaty paves the way for Somalia to become a full member of the EAC,” an official of the secretariat said, noting:  “What happened on November 24 was a declaration that its application to join the community had been accepted,” he told The Citizen.

The November 24 summit designated the EAC chairperson, Kiir,to agree with Mogadishu on when to sign the Treaty of Accession.

After tomorrow’s signing of the Accession Treaty, Somalia will have six months to deposit the Instrument of Ratification with the EAC secretary general.

The 23rd ordinary summit also directed the EAC Council of Ministers to develop a roadmap for the integration of Somalia into the Community.

Somalia has been admitted into the EAC even as the country continues to grapple with security challenges fuelled by ceaseless terror attacks.

The eighth member of the bloc has been wracked by chaos for the past three decades, often spilling over to its neighbours.

Its admission once again accelerated the expansion of the EAC, which until 2007 had three founding members: Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. Burundi and Rwanda joined in 2007, followed by South Sudan in 2016, before the resource-rich DR Congo was admitted last year. As expected, its admission is set to boost intra-regional trade given its rich fisheries resources on its long 3,000 km coastline.

The signing of the Treaty of Accession into the EAC has coincided with the lifting of an arms embargo on the conflict-ridden Horn of Africa state.

The arms embargo was imposed 31 years ago, when the country plunged into chaos, lawlessness and instability.

However, early this month, the UN Security Council (UNSC) announced its decision to lift the ban and enable the country to tackle emerging security challenges.

President Mohamud said the move would support efforts by the new EAC partner state to foster stability and promote economic development.