EAC begins verification to admit Somalia into regional bloc

The East Africa Community has officially launched a verification mission to determine whether it will admit the Federal Republic of Somalia into the regional bloc.

The verification will start on Wednesday, where senior officials from the EAC member states will assess Somalia's readiness to be part of the EAC.

“The verification team is set to make findings relating to the institutional frameworks in place; legal frameworks; policies, strategies, projects and programmes; areas of Cooperation with other EAC Partner States and expectations from its membership,” EAC secretary general Peter Mathuki said.

The exercise is being carried out in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

The current EAC partner states are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and DR Congo.

Somalia has been pushing for inclusion into the EAC following the admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo last year.

Last July, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended the 22nd Ordinary East Africa Community Heads of State Summit where he made another bid to join EAC.

''I am here to make a formal bid for Somalia to join the East African Community,'' Mohamud said. 

The leader had initiated the bid during his first term between 2012 and 2017 together with DRC but members declined due to war and disorder in the Horn of Africa nation.

The countries become members of the bloc when they meet certain conditions set out in the 1999 Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.

They include respect for universal principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and other civil liberties.