East African leaders will this week travel to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to discuss issues related to boosting economic growth in the bloc and the crises in Burundi and South Sudan.
Officials told ChimpReports the 17th Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Summit of the EAC Heads of State is taking place on September 8.
“The 17th Extra-Ordinary Summit will be considering the EAC Council of Ministers Report on EU-EAC Economic Partnership Agreement; His Excellency President Mkapa’s Report on the Inter-Burundi Dialogue; Council Report on matters relating to the Republic of South Sudan; and swearing in of the new Deputy Secretary General from the Republic of Rwanda,” reads Tuesday’s statement from the East Africa Community (EAC).
The EAC-EU Economic partnership provides for full duty-free and quota-free market access conditions for goods originating in the EAC Partner States into the market of the EU on a secure, long-term and predictable basis.
It also seeks to liberalise progressively and gradually the EAC Partner States’ markets for goods originating from the EU.
The partnership also is intended to preserve and improve market access conditions to ensure that EAC Partner States fully benefit from the arrangement.
The leaders will further discuss the implementation of the deployment of a regional force in South Sudan.
In early July, close to the fifth anniversary of the country’s independence, the youngest nation was plunged into fresh violence due to clashes between rival forces – the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), loyal to President Salva Kiir, and the SPLA in Opposition, backing former First Vice-President Riek Machar.
That led to deaths and injuries; including those of several UNMISS peacekeepers, also undermining the implementation of the peace agreement between the political rivals in August 2015, which formally ended their differences.
The First Vice President Dr Riek Machar fled the Capital Juba to the Equatoria forests before being flown to Khartoum where he has been receiving treatment.
The Burundi crisis continues with cases of killings being reported almost on a daily basis.