The Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC is officially a member of the Community of East African States, the EAC

“The EAC Heads of State formally admit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the East African Community,” a virtual Heads of State Summit said on Tuesday. EAC, Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenyan Head of State and Chairman of the EAC Heads of State Summit.

In reaction to this accession of the DRC to the Community of African States, the Heads of State of other member countries expressed their satisfaction and welcomed the DRC.

“On behalf of the Ugandan people, I welcome President Felix Tshisekedi and the Congolese people to the East African Community. Its membership is very important for the Community, in terms of prosperity and peace,” said Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

“As leaders, let us continuously strive to ensure the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region,” added the Ugandan Head of State.

According to the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, “Rwanda welcomes the accession of the DRC and stands ready to play its role to enable the DRC to better integrate within this Community”.

The DRC shares a border with five EAC member states, namely Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan. Its eastern region trades with East Africa and uses the ports of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Mombasa (Kenya) for its export and import activities.

The East African Community has so far had six countries in the region namely Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Its headquarters are in Arusha, Tanzania.

Source Anadolu Agency