If admitted, Burundi will be the second East African Community member state to join SADC after Tanzania, but rocky relations with Rwanda and Uganda could prevent this.
Burundi says it will be ready to meet with a Southern African Development Community (SADC) team in May to evaluate its readiness to join the 16-member organisation as Bujumbura presses for membership.
Burundian Foreign Affairs Minister Ezechiel Nibigira last week visited the chair of the SADC Summit, Namibian President Hage Geingob, the East African reported.
In 2017, Burundi and Comoros applied for membership in SADC, but after scrutiny, Burundi’s application was put on hold as Comoros became the 16th member of the regional bloc.
Burundi’s application was assessed by the Inter-state Politics and Diplomacy Committee of SADC’s organ on politics, defence and security co-operation. The committee subsequently ruled out admission, citing instability in the East African country.
In 2003, after a Summit in Dar es Salaam, SADC member states approved new criteria for admission of new member states, which included the observance of the principles of democracy, human rights, good governance and the rule of law, in accordance with the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights.
However, Nibigira said Burundi was now stable, following the 2015 political crisis that left almost 1,000 people dead and thousands more displaced.
If admitted, Burundi will be the second East African Community (EAC) member state to join SADC after Tanzania.
But there are strong reservations that Burundi’s application will this time meet with approval, due in part to its rocky relations with neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda.
Furthermore, Bujumbura’s membership of the EAC has been far from satisfactory, with it failing to contribute economically, and now owing the bloc over $10 million.
