Rwanda, along with other regional countries, yesterday joined the Eastern Africa Fusion and Liaison Unit (EA-FLU), a body that seeks enhanced regional cooperation to counter terrorism.

This was announced following a third meeting of East African Security Chiefs at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where other East African Community (EAC) partner states as well joined in along with countries from the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in a seemingly reinvigorated attempt at ridding the region of terror networks.

According to the Peace and Security Council (PSC) – the African Union’s standing decision-making organ responsible for the maintenance of continental peace and security – Uganda will serve as first chair of the newly-established EA-FLU (for one year).

The PSC’s official Twitter page yesterday indicated that eastern African heads of intelligence and security services signed a momerandum of understanding on the establishment of EA-FLU.

It is indicated that regional intelligence chiefs "concluded the meeting with strong resolve to support Somalia in the fight against al-Shabaab.”

The al-Qaeda-linked militants have largely wrecked havoc in Somalia and Kenya and are one of the region’s main security threats.

At the end of the Addis meeting, representatives from other countries, including Sudan and Somalia as well as the EAC and IGAD blocs, signed an agreement establishing EA-FLU for enhanced regional cooperation to counter terrorism in eastern Africa.

Burundi will serve for two years as coordinator of the unit, while Djibouti serves as administrator for the same period.

With headquarters in Uganda, EA-FLU will help enhance regional cooperation to counter terrorism and other trans-national threats in eastern Africa.

Opening the meeting, earlier on Monday, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Amb. Smail Chergui, warned the intelligence chiefs that terrorism threat in Africa is likely to remain high.

"The ongoing conflict in Yemen is compounding the threat posed by terrorism in East. Africa and threatens security of IGAD and EAC regions,” Chergui said.

According to Chergui, climate change is also another issue affecting security of East African countries, causing environmental degradation, desertation, floods, drought and famine.

The third meeting of Intelligence and Security Services Heads of Countries of East African region brought together IGAD, the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).

Besides discussing and adopting a draft memorandum of understanding on establishment of the EA-FLU, the meeting also discussed security threats in the region.

No reason was indicated as to why Addis was venue for the latest session but previously, during the second such meeting in Kampala, Uganda, in what was then referred to as a gesture of solidarity with Somalia, the group had agreed to hold the third meeting in Mogadishu.

Review of security situation in the region

Previously, the second meeting of the Heads of Intelligence and Security Services (HISS) held in Kampala, in July, provided an opportunity to review the security situation in the region and, it was emphasised that terrorism, transnational organised crime and inter- and intra-state conflicts remain a major threat.

The Kampala session had also noted that the security challenges in the region were compounded by the continued ability of the al-Shabaab terrorist group to wage attacks against AMISOM, the Somali security forces and civilians, as well as by the conflict in Yemen and the risk of the expansion to the region of the activities of the Islamic State.

The Kampala meeting also highlighted the problems associated with immigration and human trafficking, and underlined the need for continued vigilance and determined efforts to deepen security cooperation in the region, on the basis of a unified vision of collective security, shared responsibility and transparency.

The first such meeting was held in Djibouti from February 28 to March 1.

During the Djibouti session, several practical steps were agreed upon, including the establishment of a secure communications system among regional intelligence and security services, enhancement of national capacities, and establishment of a Regional Fusion Centre in Kampala, with view to facilitating exchange of information.

Establishment of a Joint Operations Center (JOC) between IGAD and EAC countries was also on the list. 

The establishment of the EA-FLU comes barely three months after Rwanda signed a memorandum of understanding with the AU committing troops to the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC).

In October, Rwanda was one of the 13 nations that volunteered to form the ACIRC, an initiative for military intervention as and when the need arises. It is made up of volunteering nations whose purpose is to rapidly respond to crisis situations on the continent.

The ACIRC is an interim mechanism put in place by African leaders at the AU summit in 2013 to deal rapidly with crises on the continent and avoid reliance on foreign powers’ intervention in African issues. The ACIRC was previously adopted as an interim measure, pending the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF).

Last year, the leadership of the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), one of the five components of the ASF, verified and approved Rwanda’s readiness to deploy pledged troops and police components when needed.

Rwanda has committed a substantial force that includes a motorised battalion of 850 troops and a police contingent of 140 officers under Formed Police Unit as well as 100 Individual Police Officers to EASF.