Burundi may join EAC later this year

Burundi has poised itself for joining the East African Community (EAC) later this year should the EAC heads of state approve of its preparation.

Officials from Burundi have signed late on Monday an agreement accepting all the conditions set out for the country as prerequisite of accession, according to information reaching here on Wednesday from the EAC Secretariat.

The signing took place at the EAC headquarters in Arusha of northern Tanzania.

The EAC membership may enlarge to five should heads of state from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda approve the application by Burundi and Rwanda.

Cooperation ministers and foreign ministers from the existing three EAC member states of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are scheduled to meet on Nov. 10 to finalize the accession details while the final go-ahead is to be given by the heads of state when they hold the annual summit on Nov. 29.

Should Burundi and Rwanda be included into the EAC fold, the regional economic integration bloc would become an entity with a combined population of 110 million people.

The EAC is now striving to render itself into a political federation between 2010 and 2013.

Source: Xinhua