Link to article: https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/dr-congo-reaffirms-commitment-join-eac
The DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday January 17th stated their intention to join the EAC, the East African Community. Negotiations in Kenya facilitated the real possibility of the DRC’s admission into the alliance. The DRC’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula Apala Pen’Apala, stated that the country is excited about the stronger relationships with the EAC, boosting their trade and investments. Pen’Apala has also stated that he wishes for these talks to be the last round before admission of the DRC into the EAC. The EAC has interest in the DRC joining the community because the large population creates economic opportunity for the market for the EAC. Negotiations are expected to end within 10 days and the results would be presented to the Council which would ultimately submit it to the Summit of EAC Heads of State for final decision and approval. congolese officials have stated that the country has launched reconstruction programs of the country in multiple sectors along with the preservation of natural resources and the EAC meeting in December encouraged regional officials to quickly hold talks with the DRC as they are interested in having the DRC become a member. There have already been verification officials sent into the country, negotiations held, and the EAC has already completed seven out of the 10 steps needed for admission to the bloc, so the official decision is expected to be made in April 2022.
The DRC negotiations are to see if the country is fit to meet the set of criteria in the EAC Treaty and the admission process. The EAC will also take into account the level of development in trade, politicals, and across all sectors to make their decision. Since the process started in 2019 when the DRC President wrote to the EAC Chairperson if his wished to join the pact, the steps being taken now look like the country will be admitted soon. The DRC will considerably benefit from joining this bloc as security challenges in the eastern part of the country make the EAC a viable option for assistance and support. In addition, it would help to secure and improve their borders as the DRC shares borders with five EAC partner states: Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan.
Regionally, this alliance is extremely important to maintain peace in this region. The East African Community is an international organization that has six member states. Kenya is one of the largest superpowers in Africa so it serves as a leading state in the EAC and a regional hegemon to help and regulate things like the DRC joining the EAC. The majority of the negotiations are being held in Kenya and the EAC’s chairman is the president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. This is an excellent example of how regional hegemons take part in supporting other countries in the region through international organizations.