Link to article: https://allafrica.com/stories/202510170191.html
With Somalia’s recent joining of the EAC (East African Community) in 2023, they have decided to elect nine representatives to the EACs legislative branch known as the EALA (East African Legislative Assembly). Lawmakers in Mogadishu voted for these nine specific representatives last Wednesday. This commitment from Somalia comes with the hopes of rebuilding institutions and reconnecting with other states in the region. The nine representatives will be stationed in Arusha, Tanzania. Their main goal will be to advocate for Somalia’s interests within the union.
I think this article is important because it highlights the rising power of the EAC and Somalia’s expanding regional interests. The EACs growth and alliance is mainly in hopes of growing power of the region on the global stage. Somalia’s personal interest is also to do with gaining allies to help against rebel groups in the state, just like their alliance with Egypt recently. Of course this union will benefit Somalia in the long term in other ways too, economically empowering the country to stand up to dangers in security coming from Ethiopia and other more global powers. The EAC should respond mostly positively to Somalia’s representatives, but this does complicate operations of the EALA with more colliding opinions on subjects. Somalia has everything to gain from this, so there will be no problem with this expansion.
This whole alliance is a great example of reciprocity, benefiting the states of the region. This choice also comes from Somalia’s national interest, in the hopes of gaining power and security in the international system. Somalia could even be considered a bandwagon state to the EAC considering Somalia’s wide variety of issues and small list of benefits to the IGO. Whether Somalia will maintain good relations with these other states remains to be seen following the short term benefits of this alliance, as outlined in relation to the fluidity of alliances.