Arusha, Mar 9 – Leaders of the East African Community gathered in Arusha, Tanzania, on Saturday for the 25th Ordinary Summit of the bloc’s heads of state, with the absence of the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo drawing attention as tensions linked to the conflict in eastern Congo persist.
Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, and Félix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, did not attend the meeting at the Arusha International Conference Centre, delegating senior officials to represent their governments.
Rwanda was represented by Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente, while the Congolese delegation was led by a government minister. Officials said the two presidents had communicated their inability to travel due to domestic commitments.
Several regional leaders attended the meeting, including Kenya’s President William Ruto, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The summit, held under the theme of deepening regional integration to improve livelihoods across member states, addressed institutional matters and economic cooperation within the eight-member bloc.
Leaders launched the bloc’s Seventh EAC Development Strategy covering 2026/27 to 2030/31, which sets out priorities to accelerate regional integration, strengthen trade connectivity and expand infrastructure across the community.
The meeting also introduced a regional customs bond system designed to simplify cross-border trade by allowing goods moving through multiple member states to use a single customs guarantee recognised across the region, replacing multiple national transit bonds.
Discussions also touched on the organisation’s financial sustainability and institutional reforms aimed at strengthening the operations of the regional secretariat.
The absence of Kagame and Tshisekedi nevertheless drew attention as relations between Kigali and Kinshasa remain strained over the security crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese government has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group operating in the region, allegations Kigali denies.
The East African Community currently includes Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. With a combined population exceeding 300 million people, the bloc has become one of the continent’s largest regional markets following the admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2022 and Somalia in 2023.
