The Democratic Republic of Congo has been endorsed by the Council of Ministers to join the East African Community (EAC) as the seventh member state. The EAC Council of Ministers, chaired by Kenya's EAC Affairs and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed, gave the nod during an extraordinary meeting on Monday, November 22, in Arusha, Tanzania. "The Summit of EAC Heads of State at their 21st Ordinary Meeting held on 27th February 2021, directed the EAC Council of Ministers to expeditiously undertake a verification exercise in accordance with the EAC Criteria for Admission of Foreign States," the council said. In attendance at the meeting were Uganda's East African Affairs minister Rebecca Kadaga, Tanzania Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation minister Liberata Mulamula, and Burundi's Foreign Affairs minister Ezéchiel Nibigira. Kenya's Mohamed, South Sudan EAC minister Deng Alor Kuol, and Rwanda's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Manasseh Nshuti joined the meeting virtually.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 25, 2021 07:15 UTC