Museveni, leaders discuss African standby force

By Vision Reporter

President Museveni on Thursday joined other African leaders from Niger, Algeria, Tanzania, Chad, South Africa and Angola on the sidelines of the ongoing AU summit in Ethiopia’s Capital Addis Ababa in a meeting to discuss the operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF).

They also discussed the Establishment of an African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC).

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union had acknowledged that the main obstacles to the operationalization of the ASF are inadequate logistical capacities and funding.

AU requested that attention be focused on the acceleration of the operationalization of the ASF, which should become functional by 2015 and also urged the Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention.

Others include; management and resolution to accelerate the operationalization of their Standby Forces, including their rapid deployment capabilities and regional logistic depots, in order to speed up the operationalization of the ASF.

 It encouraged all member States to provide requisite financial, logistical and technical capacities towards the establishment of the continental logistic base and its functioning and encouraged all member States to contribute to the AU Peace Fund in conformity with the provisions of Article 21 of the PSC Protocol to enable the AU provide African solutions to African problems in the management of conflict situations on the continent.

This follows a similar meeting by Heads of State and Government during their Joint Summit between SADC and ICGLR that was held in South Africa some time last year.

Later President Museveni separately met and held bi-lateral talks with Presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Omar Al Bashir of Sudan, Idriss Deby of Chad and the Vice President of South Sudan James Wani Igga with whom they discussed matters of mutual interest.