The leadership of the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) is confident Rwanda’s readiness to deploy pledged troops and police components will work out well, EASF director Ismail Chanfi has said.

Amb. Chanfi, EASF Force Commander, Burundi’s Brig. Gen. Domitien Kabisa and other officials yesterday conducted a verification tour of preparedness to deploy and military hardwares at Kami Barracks and at the Rwanda National Police headquarters in Kacyiru to ascertain readiness.

In August, Rwanda, the current chair of EASF, pledged a substantial force contribution that includes a motorised battalion of 850 troops and a police contingent of 140 officers under Formed Police Unit (FPU) as well as 100 Individual Police Officers (IPOs) to the EASF, formerly Eastern Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG).

The Force will be part of a regional multidimensional and fully integrated force, including military, police and civilians and ready to deploy in any conflict zone of the region that comprises 10 countries.Rwanda also committed Special Forces elements, a level two medical unit, 50 military observers, and 47 civilians, all of which are now ready to deploy when called on.

"The dream to have a force generated and prepared for deployment to make peace possible for all of us is no more a dream but a tangible reality. I have no doubt about the dedication of Rwanda,” Amb. Chanfi said.

At Kami Barracks, the commander and his entourage inspected the troops as well as all their equipment, including armored fighting vehicles, medical facilities, a mobile military kitchen, and others and indicated that they were fascinated by the high level of readiness.

The group was also impressed by the level of readiness at Police headquarters, where similar arrangements were demonstrated, together with an assimilated crowd management situation.

The FPU will, among others, conduct escort duties, VIP protection and civilian protection, while IPOs will be acting as mentors, trainers, observers and advisers.

"We are satisfied with everything we have seen here in Rwanda. Everything fits into the required standards of EASF,” Brig. Gen. Kabisa said.

The first such verification exercise was conducted in Kenya in September.

At Kami Barracks, Maj. Dr King Kayondo, a general surgeon who is part of the 63 military medical corps at hand, said the level two military facility’s services include inpatient and outpatient care, stabilisation for forward evacuation.

In August, East African Community member states, as well as their northern neighbour Ethiopia, committed nearly the entire 5,000 troops that will constitute the EASF. 

Each member state will take care of own units and deploy on short notice (two weeks) as well as foot the bill for at least 90 days during operations.

With the Force steadily taking shape, the regional security framework is shifting focus from capacity building to Force generation and sustainability.

There is growing optimistism that the Force will be ready for deployment next month.

EASF is planning to conduct a Command Post Exercise in Ethiopia in a fortnight.

Structures

The EASF Coordination Mechanism, located in Nairobi, serves as the Secretariat for policy organs, structures and activities. The Planning Element, also in Nairobi, serves as a multi-national and multidimensional full time planning headquarters for EASF within the framework of the African Standby Force. Command headquarters are in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia will provide the Chief of Staff, while Burundi has a Force Commander that is serving for a three-year term that started on March 23. Other member countries will hold different positions on rotational basis.

On June 26, regional Heads of State decided that the full operationalisation of EASF must be ready this year, instead of December next year, as earlier proposed in an African Union roadmap.

Initiated in 2004, EASF is expected to be part of the African peace and security architecture.

The EASF draws its membership from 10 active member states including Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

james.karuhanga@newtimes.co.rw