Uganda stresses need to form African Standby Force

KAMPALA, Feb 14, 2004 (Xinhua) — Ugandan army commander Major General Aronda Nyakairima has stressed the need for Africa to form its own intervention military force, the African Standby Force ( ASF), Radio Uganda reported on Saturday.

Opening a meeting of military experts on the formation of a regional army at Jinja Nile Resort Hotel, some 80 km east of Kampala, Nyakairima regretted that the United Nations Security Council failed to prevent the genocide in Rwanda, conflicts in Somalia and the street battles in Liberia.

“The Security Council should have prevented the genocide in Rwanda and Somalia should by now have been re-assembled into a viable state, but nothing has been done. We need a body to safeguard the freedom and security of member states,” he said.

He added that time has come for Africa to also get organized.

Uganda is currently hosting army chiefs from 12 countries in the east African region. The meeting is expected to sign an agreement setting up a 4,020 strong brigade.

Chiefs of defense staff from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, the Sudan and Uganda are attending the meeting.