Kenya has handed over the chairmanship of a regional military agency to Rwanda after a successful year of leadership.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale handed over the chairmanship of the Council of Ministers of Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) to his Rwanda counterpart Juvenal Marizamunda during a meeting in Nairobi.
The EASF is a regional organisation whose mandate is to enhance peace and security in the Eastern African region.
Its mandate also extends as one of the five regional multidimensional Forces of the African Standby Force consisting of Military, Police and Civilian components.
It provides the capability for rapid deployment of forces to carry out preventive deployment, and rapid intervention in the region.
During the meeting that ended Saturday, January 27, Duale underscored the need to have a more peaceful, secure and integrated Eastern Africa region saying it is ideal for sustainable socio-economic development of the region.
He said the region is confronting transnational threats of terrorism, extremism and organized crimes which continue to destabilize the society and undermine the much-needed peace, security, and stability thus there’s a need for synergies and collaboration amongst Member States.
Duale made the remarks when he chaired the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of Defence and Security of EASF during the culmination of a weeklong meeting in Nairobi.
He called for the establishment of a conducive environment that allows sufficient focus on the root cause of conflicts and promoting good governance.
“We need to prioritize the enhancement of our security capabilities as envisaged within the EASF framework. It is therefore incumbent on us to strengthen ties, foster collaboration and streamline our security architecture which is fundamental to success,” Duale said.
The meeting themed, ‘A Capability of Choice for Peace, Security and Integration in the Eastern Africa Region,’ brought together Ministers of Defence and Security from the EASF Member States and their representatives from Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.
“To the incoming Chairperson, we must take stock of the mutating global crises and their potential impact on our region so that we can explore appropriate measures to mitigate the associated challenges,” Duale said.
EASF director Brigadier (Rtd) Paul Njema said the force is ready for deployment whenever required.
He added the force remains focused on implementing the recommendation of the Strategic Plan that envisions, among others, achieving full operational capability saying
The meeting waged into the simmering conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia.
This followed the Peace and Security Council of the African Union on January 17, 2024, during the 1192nd meeting which considered the conflict.
The EASF meeting unequivocally reaffirmed its strong commitment and support in all efforts aimed at preserving the unity, sovereignty, territory integrity and independence of all member states in line with Article 4 of the African Union Constitutive Act and the Protocols Relating to the Establishment of Peace and Security especially on the conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia.
The Council also urged the two countries to cease making utterances that may escalate the conflict further and implored external actors to abide by the Principle of Non-interference in the internal affairs of the conflict.
Chiefs of Defence Forces/Staff from Member States, including Kenya’s Gen Francis Ogolla, other senior officials from the security sector, members of the diplomatic corps and friends of EASF led by their chairperson Colonel Jens Gunther Lindvig of Denmark were present.