News Feature

Standby   Force for Peace in East Africa

The prevalence of armed conflicts can cause great damages undermining the survival of a state while debilitating its economic and social fabric.

            For a state to develop, there should be unshakable peace and security inside and around its territory. It's not only the stability of the frontier zone of a certain country that matters, but also the regional security for it directly or indirectly affects the process of development in that country. 

            No one can deny that news of civil strife and intrastate conflicts are commonplace in Africa.  As a result, the economy has been repeatedly battered and could not register sustainable growth. Notably, the Eastern Africa       sub-region has been a spot for recurrent armed conflicts that express themselves in different forms. This region has been vulnerable to a protracted and continuous bloody wars fought among

clan chiefs, liberation fronts to add to the inter-territorial armed conflicts. 

Cognizant of the fact that lack of durable peace in the region negatively affects its pace of development, the Head of States of the region have recently gathered in Addis Ababa to establish the East African Standby Brigade (EASBRIG)

            In their first Summit, the Head of States of the sub-region that form the Assembly of the EASBRIG, have officially launched the establishenment on 11 April 2005 of the EASBRIG whose headquarters was decided to be in Addis Ababa. The Assembly has adopted the same day the budget for the establishenment of the EASBRIG.

            The Brigade drawn from the Eastern Africa region, the EASBRIG, is part of the region's continued commitment to peace and security. Where there are high incidents of political instability in the eastern Africa sub-region, the EASBRIG demonstrates the need to form a standby brigade that aims at resolving possible armed conflicts in the area. 

             In light of such persistent conflicts, the regional brigade proves an attempt to create permanent structure to deal with conflicts in a more capable manner. The conflicts in Darfur, Northern Uganda, Eastern DRC, Burundi and others inevitably have led to the establishment of the EASBRIG, which is a collective security and early-warning arrangement meant to facilitate timely and efficient response to conflict and crisis situations in the sub-region.

            The EASBRIG could be viewed as part of the African Union's effort to resolve conflicts in the continent and therefore forms the Eastern Africa regional component of the African Standby Force. The continent has been witnessing the intervention of the AU in a bid to restore peace where armed conflicts occurred. With the view to achieve this objective, the AU is devolving power to the regional groups to deal with issues of peace and security.

            The report of the meeting of the Eastern Africa Ministers of Defense and Security, which was held in Kigali, Rwanda, From 9-10        September 2004 states that  "the EASBRIG is established based on the principles and objectives enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the Protocol Establishing the Peace and Security Council of the AU".

            Ethiopia has always been hailed for its unreserved commitment to bring about peace in the sub- region and the whole continent. Its involvement in the AU activities and in the UN efforts to restore peace in some parts of Africa like Liberia, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia demonstrates its desire to see a peaceful Africa where armed conflict could no longer be a threat to economic and social stability.

            It is with the same view that Ethiopia initiated, along with other countries, the establishenment of the EASBRIG. Ethiopia believes that such arrangement would contribute immensely to the realisation of peace in the sub-region.

              Speaking at the inaugural Summit, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the concept of EASBRIG was a right one and the time appropriate to launch it.

            EASBRIG, Meles said,  "represents a major step forward for our region and for the AU in the area of conflict prevention, management and resolution".

            While stating the commitment of member states to the fruitful engagement of the EASBRIG in preventing armed conflict, Meles expressed hope that international partners will support the endeavour.

            The EASBRIG Fund shall come, it was decided, from member states in the form of contributions, grants, and donations. In connection to this, he further stressed that " It is imperative to start with our own modest resources and demonstrate our resolve by contributing to the proposed budget".

            While the EASBRIG depicts the will of member States to cooperate in matters of peace and security as significant, it also emphasized their commitment to act collectively to preserve peace and stability as essential prerequisite for economic development and social progress in the region. The establishenment of the EASBRIG is believed to be a major step forward in building the capacity and mechanism for the continental organization to deal with conflict. 

            The fact that Ethiopia is chosen to host the Headquarters and the Logistic Base of the EASBRIG shows the trust and confidence Africa put in the integrity of the country. In this regard, Meles has confirmed Ethiopia's determination to live up to the high expectations of those who put their trust on it.

            No doubt that the launching of the EASBRIG is a huge leap ahead. But a lot of work awaits the countries that are involved in it in making the EASBRIG a strong and vital force that can effectively carry out its responsibilities.