A decision on South Sudan's application to join the East African Community (EAC) will be made in April next year.
That’s according to a communiqué from the recently concluded EAC summit in Kampala, Uganda.
South Sudan applied to join the bloc shortly after attaining independence from Sudan in July 2011.
The East African Treaty requires that members accept the "community as set out in the treaty; adhere to good governance, democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights".
Members are also expected to establish and maintain a market driven economy as preconditions for joining the community.
The EAC confirmed that a team had been formed to assess South Sudan's application before making a decision next April.
If admitted, South Sudan would have access to a market of some 140 million people.
