Monday March 16, 2026
ARUSHA, Tanzania — Nine Somali representatives were sworn in Monday to the East African Community Legislative Assembly (EALA), marking Somalia’s first formal participation in the regional parliament since joining the East African Community in 2023.
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The ceremony at EALA headquarters in Arusha followed the resolution of legal challenges that had temporarily delayed Somalia’s entry into the assembly. The East African Court of Justice cleared the way for the lawmakers to take their seats, ending months of uncertainty over the selection process and turning a procedural impasse into a milestone for regional integration.
“Today is a historic day and a political victory for the Government and People of Somalia,” Ambassador Ilyas Ali Hassan, Somalia’s permanent representative to the East African Community (EAC), said in a statement posted on social media. He reaffirmed Mogadishu’s commitment to regional integration, peace and economic development within the bloc.
The newly sworn-in EALA members from Somalia are:
- Abuukar Abdi Osman
- Husen Hassan Abdi
- Sahra Ali Hassan
- Ilham Ali Gassar
- Fatima Abdullahi Mahmud Insaniye
- Abdisalam Hadliye Omar
- Abdirahman Bashir Sharif
- Faysal Abdi Rooble
- Fahma Ahmed Nur
Somalia became the EAC’s eighth member in late 2023, joining Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The regional bloc represents a market of nearly 300 million people and has prioritized freer movement of goods and people, infrastructure connectivity and cross-border cooperation.
EALA, based in Arusha, serves as the legislative arm of the community. The assembly debates and passes laws that guide integration, oversees the EAC budget and provides a forum for addressing cross-border issues affecting member states. Somalia’s seating of its delegation opens a channel for the country to influence regional legislation and oversight at a time when the bloc is working to harmonize policies and expand trade.
Monday’s swearing-in is viewed in Mogadishu and within the secretariat as a significant step toward Somalia’s full institutional integration into the EAC’s political and economic structures. It follows years of observer engagement by Somalia prior to accession and caps a transition from admission to active legislative participation.
With the legal dispute settled and the oaths administered, the Somali lawmakers now take their places in Arusha as EALA continues its agenda on bills and budgetary oversight for the 2025–2026 period. Their inclusion adds a new voice to debates on regional priorities, from economic coordination to governance, and formalizes Somalia’s role in shaping the community’s next phase of integration.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
