The East African Federation is a nascent nation state formed of the union of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. These countries all share certain key features: - They are all either former British colonies or have had significant British influence in the past. - They all use English as an official language but Swahili as a common language. - There is a Christian majority in all these countries with a significant Muslim minority. Tensions and hostilities between Muslims and Christians in this area have been growing as well as outside threats such as Al-Shabaab. The EAF could be a means to consolidate and defend Christian liberty in region. Could this be for Africa what the USA has been for North America?

**Pros** of forming the East African Federation: - Landlocked nations like Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan would have access to the sea - The economic union between the nations would aid in the development of trade and commerce between coastal regions and great lakes regions - The EAF would be distanced from political strife in the west **Challenges** of forming the East African Federation: - A monetary union -- a single currency -- would be necessary to standardize trade across the Federation, which sort of implementation would require foreign investment to put the infrastructure into place - Distrust between the different states exists a bit now due to differing COVID-19 responses, so any progress on the EAF may need to wait until the pandemic eases in sub-Saharan Africa Overall, it seems like it could really help to create a power on the African continent. Whether creating a new world power is a good thing or a bad thing, it probably depends -- but I think most people would consider it a good thing for the standpoint of Africa itself. (At least for the nations of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, which would comprise it.) Further reading: https://www.streitcouncil.org/post/east-african-federation-a-new-regional-power