Somalia became the 8th member of the East African Community (EAC) this week, after signing the Treaty of Accession in Entebbe, Uganda. The ceremony was attended by South Sudan President Salva Kiir, the current EAC chair, and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. Somalia’s membership had been approved three weeks earlier at the EAC summit in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC is both a trade bloc and a customs union. However, Kenya and Tanzania, the region’s biggest economies, have been accused of trying to hinder free trade.
The bloc has also been criticized for growing too quickly without ensuring effective integration. For instance, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which joined the EAC this year, still faces violence in its eastern region.
Additionally, the region suffers from political disputes among its members, which critics say are hampering the bloc’s progress. For example, Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels to fight against it.
