Jump to navigation

Somalia

Somalia will become eighth member of the regional bloc this year

PREVIEW

Mogadishu's long journey to join EAC nears completion with support of Kenya – despite the two countries' ongoing maritime dispute

Somalia is likely to join the East African Community before the end of 2023, despite its long-running dispute with neighbouring Kenya over their shared maritime border.

EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki said that negotiations on its membership terms would run until early September ahead of accession. Somalia's application was verified at an EAC summit in Burundi in June. Membership will mean some legislative changes to align Somalia with the bloc's common external tariff and EAC officials say that regional trade and businesses will be among the main beneficiaries.

A report on the timeline for Somalia harmonising its regulations to the EAC's is then set to be approved at an EAC summit in November or December.

A previous application by Mogadishu in 2012 was rejected and there is a sense of grievance that South Sudan, which applied in 2011, was approved as a member in 2016. South Sudan has since been one of the main laggards in paying its contributions to the EAC's common budget.

The maritime dispute between Kenya and Somalia was decided in Mogadishu's favour in October 2021 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). But the decision was rejected by Nairobi and relations between the two governments are poor.

Yet Kenya supports Somalian accession to the EAC and the issue is unlikely to affect the Mogadishu's accession negotiations (Dispatches, 19/10/21, International Court backs most of Mogadishu's claims to an oil and gas-rich zone in the Indian Ocean). Kenya could seek to use the EAC as a mediator on the maritime dispute (AC Dispatches, 8/8/23, Maritime boundary clash threatens bilateral relations at critical time).

Copyright © Africa Confidential 2025
https://www.africa-confidential.com

Prepared for Free Article on 21/10/2025 at 12:56. Authorized users may download, save, and print articles for their own use, but may not further disseminate these articles in their electronic form without express written permission from Africa Confidential / Asempa Limited. Contact subscriptions@africa-confidential.com.

Related Articles

Sinking the pirates

Signs that piracy is getting worse are numerous and stark. They include higher ransoms, longer detentions of vessels and crews, and the use of more and often larger mother ships,...

Stand-off over Dadaab

Refugee experts and diplomats are divided on whether Kenya is serious about its stated intention to close down the huge Dadaab refugee camp in November, Africa Confidential is...

Battle lines in the capital

President Farmajo refuses to leave office at the end of his term and the opposition has taken to the streets

If President Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed 'Farmajo' does not meet the opposition protesting his authoritarianism half-way, there are fears that splits in the security forces could lead to a...


Stories by country

Footer Map