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Somalia's Parliament Paves Way for Nation's Integration Into East African Community

Established in 1999 by the leaders of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, the regional bloc has seen subsequent expansions with Burundi and Rwanda joining in 2007, South Sudan in 2016, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2022.
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Somalia's lower house of parliament has approved the agreement to join the East African Community (EAC), marking the final step in the formal process of entering the bloc, state media said.
According to reports, of the 150 deputies present, 148 voted in favor, one voted against, and one abstained.
"Parliament’s ratification of this treaty signals the completion of Somalia’s membership process, beating the 6-month deadline that had been issued for Somalia to deposit its instruments of ratification with the Secretary General of the EAC," the report said.
The upper house is expected to approve the decision, which will then be published in the government's official gazette, according to media reports.
Somalia was admitted to the EAC in late November, and a month later the government formally signed a treaty to join the bloc.
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What Does Somalia's Acсession to EAC Mean for Nation & Bloc?
The goal of the group is to broaden and deepen economic, political, social, cultural, and legal integration up to the establishment of a future political federation of East African states.
Before the inclusion of Somalia, the EAC countries had a total land area of 4.8 million square kilometers (1.8 million square miles) and a combined gross domestic product of $305 billion, according to the bloc's website. In 2022, EAC countries' total trade amounted to $78.75 billion.