African Standby Forces are long overdue

trueBy Lt Col Paddy Ankunda

Since the phrase African solutions to African problems (ASAP) entered the African lexicon in 2007, it has proved not to be of much value to the continent or its people.

Contrary to what it was originally intended, the phrase has been taken hostage by domestic political sloganeers and foreign elements eager to advance zero-sum interests.

Although it became the ideological impetus that helped to establish multi-national African forces such as AMISOM, much of it has been left to rhetoric.

However, the decision by the African Union to establish the African Standby Force (ASF) is one in the right direction. Through the protocol relating to the establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (PSC), the African Standby Force (ASF) was established as part of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).
 

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Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) flags

The Peace and Security Council Protocol (PSCP) covers a comprehensive agenda for peace and security. This includes conflict prevention, early warning and preventive diplomacy, peace-building, intervention and humanitarian action and disaster management.

The other components of APSA set up by the PSC Protocol include the continental early warning system; the panel of the wise and the Peace Fund.  

The ASF comprises multi-national and multi-disciplinary civilian, Police and military components held on standby in their countries of origin in the five regions of the African Union.

These regions are Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), Northern Standby Brigade (NARC), Western Africa Standby Brigade (ECOWAS), Central African Standby Brigade (ECCAS) and Southern Africa Standby Brigade (SADC).

The AU is aiming for all the forces to be in place by December 2015. While it is true that regions made the commitment to fast-rack the establishment of these forces, the Eastern African region has moved faster that other regions on this matter.

The East African region’s heads of state, 10 of whom are signed up to the plan, decided in June 2014 they want their regional standby force to be operational by December of this year.

In August this year, EASF Defence Chiefs met in Kigali to chart the way forward. During the meeting, four police units of between 140 and 170 men each were pledged by member countries. Burundi pledged a battalion of light infantry.
Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda have each pledged a motorised battalion and Kenya a mechanised battalion, while Comoros, Djibouti and Somalia each contributing a squadron or company.

The East African plan is for each member state to contribute to a fund, which would enable the regional force to put boots on the ground in a crisis zone, within 14 days, if necessary. Thereafter, other donors’ help would be needed to maintain operations, but the region should put up its own funding initially.

This week, a high level team from AU will inspect the readiness of these forces in Uganda. By all standards, Uganda has already demonstrated her ability to insert a force in a conflict area in a much shorter time than prescribed by AU.
In December 2013, the UPDF quickly responded to the crisis in South Sudan in just seven days.

This kind of response should inform the spirit of creating EASF. On the whole, no one will solve African crises for us. Africa must develop her own capacity to solve conflicts on the continent.

The writer is the Defence/UPDF Spokesman