The Republics of South Sudan and Chad have formally applied to join the Arab League, diplomatic 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 Arab Ministerial Council meeting.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, pointed out that the 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 Arabic language as the state’s official language is a prerequisite to joining the league.
The Republic of South Sudan became independent from Sudan in a referendum in 2011; while the Republic of Chad, located at the centre of the African continent, shares borders with Sudan, Libya, Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria and the Central African Republic.
The Arab League’s current member states include: Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Iraq, Syria (membership suspended), Tunisia, Oman, Lebanon, Qatar, the Comoros, Sudan, Palestine, Algeria, Mauritania , Libya, Djibouti and Somalia.