Somalia Steps Up Engagement With EALA on East African Political Confederation

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Somalia has concluded three days of consultations with the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) as the country seeks to deepen its participation in the East African Community’s political integration process.

The discussions in Mogadishu focused on progress towards the proposed East African Political Confederation and Somalia’s institutional, legal and constitutional preparedness to participate in the process.The engagement brought together EALA members, representatives of the EAC Secretariat, Somali government institutions, parliamentarians, constitutional and legal experts, civil society representatives, academics and members of the private sector.

According to the government, discussions examined national coordination mechanisms, institutional preparedness and the legal and constitutional considerations associated with Somalia’s participation in the Political Confederation process.Somalia, which became a full member of the East African Community in March 2024 after depositing its instrument of ratification, is still integrating its institutions into the regional bloc and aligning national structures with its obligations as an EAC Partner State.

During the final day of the consultations, the Director General for EAC Affairs at Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stressed the need for stronger coordination among national institutions and alignment of the country’s legal and institutional frameworks with its expanding responsibilities within the EAC.The East African Political Confederation is envisaged as a transitional stage towards an eventual political federation among EAC Partner States.

The process involves consultations among member countries on the political, legal and institutional arrangements that would underpin such a confederation.Somali authorities said the latest engagement forms part of continuing coordination with EALA and the EAC Secretariat as discussions on deeper political integration within the regional bloc continue.