By Nangayi Guyson

The two Sudanese governments, Southern and northern Sudan were denied entry to the Eastern Africa community by Uganda and Tanzania, a newspaper reported
Both north and south Sudan applied to join the EAC which comprises of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania but they were all denied entry after Uganda and Tanzania raised the flag citing concerns over Khartoum’s democratic practices and its treatment of women, southern Sudan’s application was pushed to be discussed next year by council of ministers because it was send late.
Speaking to Uganda’s daily monitor, Eriya Kategaya who is Uganda’s minister for East African Affairs said, “We rejected the application of Khartoum after looking at several issues like their democracy, the way they treat women and their religious politics and we feel they don’t qualify at all.”
Following the Article 3 (3) of the EAC charter, it stipulates that membership is contingent upon adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice.
The sharing of joint borders is another requirement for the EAC membership which Sudan does not satisfy.
The final decision on Sudan’s application was delivered on Wednesday when Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi during the EAC summit in Bujumbura.
Uganda’s relations with Sudan have been strained for the last two years over the former’s support for south’s independence, position on the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for Bashir and hosting some Darfur rebel figures.
Just last month Sudan’s First Vice President Ali Osman Taha accused Musevini of seeking a regime change in Khartoum as part of his broader agendas to halt Arab advances in Africa but Ugandan president slammed Khartoum’s ‘Arabisation’ policies which he said led to South Sudan choosing to secede from the north.
South Sudan divorced north to become an independent nation last July after its citizens voted in a referendum earlier this year overwhelmingly in favor of splitting from the north. The exercise was stipulated as part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended more than two-decades of civil war.