Burundi’s application for the Southern African Development Community ( SADC) membership together with that of the Comoros has been submitted to the SADC’s Troika and will be deliberated on during the coming SADC meeting in Swaziland.
The two countries submitted their applications to SADC in what could see the number of SADC member states rise to 17.
Burundi was plunged into a political crisis after President Pierre Nkurunziza insisted on his controversial third term. Scores of people were injured and some lost their lives in the ensuing chaos.
Since then Burundi has achieved a measure of political stability, and it now stands a chance of being admitted into SADC.
“Burundi has excellent relations with each SADC member country such as South Africa, Angola, Tanzania, DRC Namibia many countries. We think for Burundi to be a member of SADC it will be beneficial for Burundi and SADC and the whole region,” says Isale Ntirizoshira, Burundi’s ambassador to South Africa.
If Burundi and Comoros join SADC they will share the vision of an environment of peace, security and stability.
“What is important is that these two countries in particular Comores submitted their application long before Burundi. This is the Africa we want…agenda 2063 and silencing the gun in the continent by 2020,” says South Africa’s International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoane-Mashabane.
SADC assessment teams who visited both Burundi and Comoros have handed over their report to the Troika, SADC’S organ on Politics, Defence and Security which is responsible for promoting and monitoring peace and security in the region.
Although SADC leaders have previously expressed a wish to keep the trade bloc small, they broke their self-imposed moratorium on membership by inviting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Seychelles to become the 13th and 14th members in 1997.
– By Lehana Tsotetsi
