Somalia applies to join EAC trading bloc

[SOM1960]

Somalia seeks EAC membership


The statement said the letter was delivered to Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula (pictured) by Ambassador Abdi Hakim Ali Yasin, the special envoy of Somalia's government President Sheikh Shariff.
By Peter Mutai (email the author)

Posted Wednesday, March 7 2012 at 14:58

The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has made an official request to join East Africa's economic bloc, Kenyan officials said on Tuesday.

A statement from Kenya President Mwai Kibaki's office said Somalia has formally asked to join East African Community (EAC) comprising of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

"The Republic of Somalia has placed an official request to be admitted to the East African Community.

The request was today made in a letter to President Mwai Kibaki, who is the current Chair of the EAC," the statement said.

The statement said the letter was delivered to Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula by Ambassador Abdi Hakim Ali Yasin, the special envoy of Somalia's government President Sheikh Shariff.

Wetangula who received the letter assured the people of Somalia that the request would be considered by the necessary EAC organs and forwarded to the EAC Summit during its next meeting.

"The request follows major developments in Somalia that have seen the country begin the journey to stability and peace after several years of civil strife," it said.

The latest development comes three months after the five-nation regional economic bloc rejected an application by Sudan to join the EAC due to its geographical location.

The African leaders who met in Bujumbura in November last year for the EAC summit said the application by Khartoum did not meet the criterion on geographical proximity and contiguity and thus could not qualify to be admitted into the bloc.

The EAC has also pending application by the Republic of South Sudan which has been waiting since last year for the regional leaders to examine it before being admitted to the EAC membership.

The Bujumbura summit directed the Council of Ministers from the five member states to verify the application by the world's newest state on the basis of the criterion for admitted of foreign countries and submits its recommendations to the tenth extra ordinary meeting which may be held later this year.

[Oxidant]

Embarrassing

[tightrope]

I HOPE THEY GET REJECTED.

[SOM1960]

Why? I think its good for Somalia

[ManD333q]

why would they want to be part of that

[abgaalKING]

why do we act like we are in the asia?

[DisplacedDiraac]

Somalia needs to fix itself and get back on its feet first.. before it even thinks about stuff like this.

How would dadkeenu feel about the free movement of people?..

[Eaglehawk]

i welcome it, the future is bright.

[Somaliman50]

the EAC has been around for decades, why now, all of a sudden, does somalia show interest in joining them?

[Eaglehawk]

the EAC has been around for decades, why now, all of a sudden, does somalia show interest in joining them?

with this act we can neutralize IGAD monopoly on somali region issues
southern somalia trades more with EAC then it does with Igad, northen somalia needs to learn now how to joggle between local intrest and regional intrest(igad)
southern somalia is in great posistion to master over a anglo european based organisation like EAC
we already have great friends like brundi and uganda and kenya is a semi ally

[Somaliman50]

eac is primarily a trading bloc, politics is always not the top on their agenda like the AU or IGAD. i think sharif just wants to raise his credentials for the coming elections.

[Eaglehawk]

eac is primarily a trading bloc, politics is always not the top on their agenda like the AU or IGAD. i think sharif just wants to raise his credentials for the coming elections.

EU started as a trading block with the treaty of rome
Igad started of as a development and drought control in region (IGADD) and its now IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development and soon it will be Intergovernmental Authority just like EU started of as European Economic Community with the treaty of rome and became after the Maastricht Treaty it became Treaty on the functioning of the European Union and its now european union.

EAC is aiming to resurrect the principles upon which British East Africa was built on, same way the European Union is nothing more than a resurrection charlemagnes state that will eventually give way to west europeans dream of roman borders.
We the people of jubaland welcome as fits rightly with our quest for hegomoney over former sawahali civilasation and british east africa. We consider ourself as the inheritors of the three civilasation, emirate harar,swahali city states and british east africa

[SOM1960]

Somalia needs to fix itself and get back on its feet first.. before it even thinks about stuff like this.

How would dadkeenu feel about the free movement of people?..

We are already member State of IGAD which covers free movement of people in East Africa.

[UlteriorMotive]

Running before we can crawl?

We barely control our capital city...have no control over our borders, airspace or coastline yet we want to join an endevour which requires a fair amount of regulation?

Wa have no national authority but want to join a supra-national one?



Where they do that at?