A delegation from the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) secretariat led by Force Commander Brig. Gen Vincent Gatama, on Thursday, December 1, started a 3-day working visit in Rwanda. During the three day visit, Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) said in a statement that the EASF is expected to conduct verification of Rwanda's pledged capabilities (military & police) in line with the EASF Force readiness assessment. Prior to the exercise, the statement added, the EASF Delegation paid a courtesy call to the RDF headquarters and were welcomed by Brig Gen Patrick Karuretwa, the Head of the International Military Cooperation Department. They discussed ongoing and future engagements between RDF and EASF. The EASF, a regional organisation whose mandate is to enhance peace and security in the Eastern Africa region, comprises 10 active member states: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. The Force is one of the five regional multidimensional forces of the African Standby Force (ASF) comprising military, police and civilian components. The components stay on standby for rapid deployment at appropriate notice as provided for in the peace support operations scenarios of the ASF.
