EAC: Admission of DRC should remind us of core principles

Heads of state of the East African Community (EAC) partner countries converged in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, yesterday for the signing ceremony of the treaty of accession to the regional bloc by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This brings to an end a process that started in 2019 when DRC applied to join the EAC – originally launched in 1967 and relaunched in 1999 after its collapse in 1977 – to maximise “exploitation of both natural and human resources in the region”.

With the addition of the former Belgian colony, the number of EAC partner states comes to seven, including countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. The mineral-rich country, with a population of more than 90 million people, is an addition to the estimated 195 million people in the region.

But DR Congo joins the EAC at a time when the existence of the bloc is being questioned. This owes to the numerous challenges the region is facing, key among them being political tensions and trade disputes among partner members.

The Uganda-Rwanda border was only recently reopened following nearly three years of closure after Kampala and Kigali traded accusations of espionage and meddling in each other’s internal affairs.

Intra-trade among member states has also been interrupted, most common being disputes between Kenya and Uganda. Conflicts between the two started in December 2019 when Kenya stopped importing Ugandan milk, followed by a ban on Ugandan sugar the following year. Uganda last year reacted by threatening to put restrictions on some of Kenya’s goods, saying it had been patient enough with its eastern neighbour.

The security situation in the region is also worrying. South Sudan remains a volatile place as Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) leaders and those in opposition jostle for power. Eastern DRC remains a hotbed of insecurity with a plethora of forces present to try and bring peace to the region.

As EAC presidents head home after the accession ceremony, we can only hope that it marks a new beginning for this promising, mineral-rich and fertile region. The ceremony should give us chance to revisit and reflect on the fundamental principles of the community which include mutual trust, political will and sovereign equality; peaceful co-existence and good neighbourliness; peaceful settlement of disputes; good governance including adherence to the principles of democracy, the rule of law, accountability, transparency, and social justice; equitable distribution of benefits; and co-operation for mutual benefit.

Only then can we have a clean slate in the quest for a united, peaceful and enlarged East African Community.

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