Ethiopia: African Union exercise for rapid response force enters final stage

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 26, 2010 (ETHIOPIA) – The African Union’s standby force completed an exercise designed to prepare them for swift deployments to respond to emergencies, the Africa Union Commission (AUC) has said.

At a press conference on Monday AUC chair person, Jean Ping, said that the force’s operational capability in resolving conflicts has seen considerable progress.

The Amani Africa Command Post Exercise (CPX), is at its final stage, according to the AU commission.

After the operations effectiveness has been evaluated the AU Commission to plans to deploy the African Standby Force (ASF) in peacekeeping operations.

As a joint effort of the African Union and the European Union, the Amani Africa exercise is designed to accelerate and validate how ready the ASF for operations.

African Union Commission chairperson Ping said the exercise will allow the forces progress to be assessed and validated.

He also hopes the exercise will identify gaps and shortcomings to enable the African Standby Force to develop.

Following the exercise, ASF procedures will be evaluated. The AU council will then decide when the force will go into function.

Sudan Tribune has learnt that the exercise which officially kicked off on 20 October at AU head quarters in Addis Ababa has brought together some 195 military components, police forces and civilians drawn from all corners of Africa. European Union partners have also taken part.

“We have carried out an exercise of all decision making bodies; at the African Union level as well as at the Command Post level of a mission which would be deployed on the ground”, General Pierre-Michel Joana, European Union Special Advisor for African peacekeeping capabilities said speaking at the occasion.

Since the inception of the African Union in 2002, African leaders have put peace and security high on the continent’s agenda, conscious that they are essential for the pursuit of an “integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa”.

The ASF is a core element of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) which aims to “provide the Peace and Security Council with the ability to conduct multidimensional interventions, as a measure of last resort, across a range of conflict scenarios”.

The AU declared 2010 as the year of Peace and Security.

African Union peacekeepers are currently deployed in Sudan as part of joint UN mission in the troubled western region of Darfur.

(ST)