Mogadishu — The president of Somalia HE Hassan Sheikh said he welcomed the verification of his nation's application to join the 7-member East African Community [EAC].

In a statement, the president said the EAC Heads of State accepted Somalia to become the 8th member of the East African Community, a milestone towards a country's revival.

The announcement was made during the 21st Extraordinary EAC Heads of State Summit held on Wed, May 31, in Bujumbura, Burundi. It came following FGS's vibrant efforts.

"It is yet another good step forward that reflects the progress of Somalia in returning its status in the region and in the whole African continent," said President Hassan Sheikh.

Since last year, when President Hassan Sheikh re-submitted the application during the Arusha meeting, Somalia has been making efforts to meet the necessary requirements to join the EAC.

The country submitted its first application in February 2012 under the leadership of Hassan Sheikh, who was re-elected in May last year to serve a second term as the head of state.

The EAC reviews Somalia's institutional and legal frameworks; its policies, strategies, and programmes; and its areas of cooperation with the member members.

Somalia located in the Horn of Africa is recovering from a 3-decade-long conflict and putting its house in order to join the EAC and other HoA and international organizations.

If joined, it will bring different advantages as Somalia has the longest national coastline of 3,333km in Africa, linking Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, which the region can tap into to increase intra-regional trade and improve the lives of East Africans.

The East African Community (EAC) was established by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda founded in 2000, which Burundi and Rwanda joined in 2007 and South Sudan in 2016.

In April 2022, The Democratic Republic of Congo joined the East African Community (EAC) as its seventh member. Somalia is expected to become the 8th member in the coming months.