EAC: Southern Sudan and DR Congo to come knocking soon

The East African Community is attracting the attention of neighbouring countries — a number of which want to join the bloc.

This could be a statement that EAC integration, contrary to the views of sceptics, is fast becoming an irreversible reality, following in the footsteps of the European Union.

The region’s integration speed has got the EU, arguably the world’s most unified group, talking.

It is billed as the most advanced in Africa, streets ahead of other continental integration concepts such as the Southern Africa Development Community and the Economic Commission for West African States.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan (if it secedes from Sudan as provided for in the Sudan Peace Accord), now want to join the EAC.

Analysts say the two are natural candidates, given their close historical, ethnic, geographical and economic ties with East Africa.

Juma Mwapachu, the Secretary General of the EAC, confirmed last week that the two have expressed interest in joining the community.

Mr Mwapachu said this could happen in the second decade of the regional cooperation. It will boost the membership from the current five to seven states.

“DRC has discovered that it is more inclined towards the East, relying on both Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam harbours for its external trade.”

Other strategies

“Southern Sudan’s economic and social dealings are more inclined to Kenya,” Mr Mwapachu said.

Speaking in Nairobi, the head of mission of the Government of Southern Sudan to Kenya, John Andruga Duku, said his country can be invited into the community as an observer state.

He said other East African states will benefit from the oil-rich nation and could sell industrial goods to it.

Sudan is the largest state in both Africa and the Arab world, while DRC is the third largest country (by area) in Africa.

Their inclusion would make East Africa the biggest regional community in the world.

It would also boost EAC’s population from the current 120 million to over 230 million.

Kiswahili is spoken even in eastern DRC. There are Tutsi-related people, Alur, Lugbara, Madi and Lendu speaking people both in Uganda (West Nile) and in DRC.

There are also Ugandan and South Sudanese Acholi.