Leaders of the East African Community are expected to gather in Arusha this weekend for a summit of heads of state, although the presidents of the Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will not attend in person, the regional bloc’s Secretary General said Friday.
Veronica Nduva, Secretary General of the EAC, told journalists during a press briefing on March 6 that several leaders will attend the summit while others will be represented by senior officials.
“We are expecting presidents and some of the presidents of partner states will be represented,” Nduva said.
According to the secretary-general, leaders expected include William Ruto of Kenya, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi and the chairperson of the African Union, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, is also expected to attend.
Nduva said Paul Kagame had presented his apologies and will not attend due to other official duties. Rwanda will instead be represented by its prime minister, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo will send two ministers.
The summit is expected to address several institutional matters within the eight member bloc, including the appointment of a new Secretary General, the swearing-in of a judges to the East African Court of Justice, and the approval of regional bills.
Relations between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been strained in recent years due to ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, where Kinshasa has accused Kigali of supporting the M23 rebel group. In turn Rwanda accuses Congo of collaborating with armed groups hostile to Kigali, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. Regional leaders, including the EAC, have previously called for dialogue and ceasefire efforts to ease tensions.
Despite the challenges facing the region, Nduva said the regional bloc remains stable and continues to advance its integration agenda.
“The community is really solid; it is not collapsing,” she said. “There are numbers that show this.”
She pointed to progress in regional trade reforms, saying new tariff regimes and other measures have helped ease trade across member states.
“We have seen easing of trade facilitation,” Nduva said.
The secretary-general also emphasized the importance of public participation in the regional integration project.
“For the community to thrive, the EAC citizens must see themselves in it,” she said. “These call for bold discussions.”
The EAC currently comprises Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and aims to promote regional economic integration, political cooperation and the free movement of people and goods.
But the bloc has for recent years faced up-hill challenges as member states relations continued to deteriorate that has seen the bloc harmony put to a test.
