The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, the African Union, AU, and other regional organisations have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding aimed at improving the deployment and management of the African Standby Force across the continent.
The agreement was signed in El Alamein, Egypt, during the fifth Policy Session of the Inter Regional Knowledge Exchange on Early Warning and Conflict Prevention.
ECOWAS Commission President, Gen. Birame Diop, signed the agreement on behalf of the West African regional bloc. The signing took place on the sidelines of the eighth African Union Mid Year Coordination Meeting.
The new agreement sets out a clearer framework for cooperation between the African Union and Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms involved in the African Standby Force.
It defines the responsibilities and operational roles of the various bodies throughout the different stages of managing the standby force. These stages cover preparation, logistics, troop deployment, operational use and activities after troops have been deployed.
Under the new arrangement, regional standby brigades will undergo coordinated training and preparation before receiving formal mandates from the African Union to take part in Peace Support Operations.
The force is also expected to play a role in responding to complex humanitarian emergencies and serious security situations that may arise across different parts of Africa.
The agreement was also endorsed by the Economic Community of Central African States, ECCAS, the North African Regional Capacity, NARC, and the Southern African Development Community, SADC.
The pact is expected to strengthen coordination between the continental body and regional organisations while creating a more organised approach to responding to conflicts and major security emergencies across Africa.
