The East African Community summit that was due for this month has been called off due to a lack of quorum.
This is after South Sudan, one of the member states informed the Secretariat in Arusha that they will not b available for the 29th February scheduled summit to internal preparations regarding a transition in Juba.
“The 21st Meeting of the Summit of the EAC Heads of State has been postponed to a later date following a request by the Republic of South Sudan, which said it was currently in the process of forming a transitional government bringing together the government and opposition groups,” a statement from the EAC secretariat reads in part.
“Also postponed is the 41st Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers that was scheduled to take place from 25th to 27th February 2020 at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha. The 41st Council was supposed to precede and make preparations for the Summit meeting.,” the statement continues
The communication was South Sudan was carried in a letter dated 21rs February from Rwanda’s EAC minister Olivier Nduhungirihe.
High on the 21st EAC Heads of State Summit is a review of the four pillars of the bloc: The Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union, and Political Confederation as a transition to the Political Federation.
In November last year, President Paul Kagame called off the EAC summit saying the decision was taken after a request by a president in the region.
Kagame did not name the president who made the request but it was later learned that the summit was called off due to tensions between Uganda and Rwanda.
