The republics of South Sudan and Chad have formally applied to join the Arab league, diplomatic sources sources told Al – Ghad news site.
According to Al -Ghad, the foreign ministers of South Sudan and Chad have already submitted a formal request to the General Secretariat of the Arab League to become full members during the the Arab Ministerial Council meeting.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed out that the Arab League’s Secretariat is reviewing the two African countries’ requests and is likely to make a decision in the coming months. If approved, the successful applicants would increase the league’s member states from 22 to 24 Arab countries.
According to the sources, using the Arab language as the state’s official language is a prerequisite to joining the league.
The current Arab league’s member states include: Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Iraq, Syria (membership suspended), Tunisia, Oman, Lebanon, Qatar, the Comoros, Sudan, Palestine, Algeria, Mauritania, Libya, Djibouti and Somalia.