EAC to consider S Sudan, Somalia request to join bloc

South Sudan and Somalia’s plea to join the East African Community is one of the major topics the regional heads of States will be discussing today in Nairobi.
This will be at the 16th Ordinary Summit of the East African Community Heads of State to be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Kenya.
The EAC secretary general, Dr Richard Sezibera, said: “Negotiations for the admission of the Republic of South Sudan into the EAC, verification of the application of the Federal Republic of Somalia will be priority matters on agenda”.
Last year, the government of South Sudan pleaded with the EAC member states not to reject them because of the violence that had engulfed the country.
The Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, Mr James Wani Igga, while meeting the EAC high level technical mission, said: “South Sudan, being a young nation, still needs support and integration from the “older” nations within the region”.
In June 2011, South Sudan applied to join the bloc, and a verification Committee from the EAC visited the country a year later to establish the its level of conformity to the EAC regulations.
However, in April last year, South Sudan halted negotiations because of the instability that broke out at the close of 2013 in this country.
Source:monitor.co.ug