Somalia becomes eighth member of East African Community
In November, Somalia was the latest country to join the East African Community (EAC). This follows the Democratic Republic of Congo's accession to the regional intergovernmental organisation in March.
Somalia's accession will create new opportunities for the EAC. It will bring 18 million people, various companies and over 3,000km of coastline into the trade bloc. With the largest coastline in Africa, Somalia will bring the EAC more opportunities in terms of fisheries, and potentially oil and gas as well.
However, there are concerns that Somalia will be unable to comply with the EAC Treaty, which requires Member States to hold 'universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice'. Last year, Somalia was voted the most corrupt nation in the world. The country has also been in a state of conflict for over three decades, and has struggled with the presence of the al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab since 2006. With the free movement of people inside the EAC, it is feared that the jihadist group will use these policies to move its members and weaponry around the Member States more easily.
Somalia's membership of the EAC may help to address these challenges and make Somalia's challenges EAC-wide issues. At the same time, it may also affect the capacity of the EAC and its institutions to function effectively followíng the Democratic Republic of Congo's accession in the previous month.
For more information, visit the official EAC website.