East African countries have formed a 7,000-strong standby brigade to respond to conflicts and other crises including piracy within the region.
Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang'ula said the rapid response force will protect critical trade routes in the Indian Ocean to curb increased cases of piracy once it becomes fully operational.
"What we are trying to do now is create a situation where Africa will not be going to knock on every door all over the world asking for support. Indeed we can, because a country like Kenya has been sending peace keeping troops all over the world," he said.
The force will be headed by the chairperson of the East Africa Chiefs of Defense and chief of Defense Forces, Union of Comoros, Brig-Gen. Salimou Amiri and director of East Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG) Simon Mulongo.
It will have a multinational headquarters manned by 65 personnel, a headquarters and signal support unit of 120 officers, multinational forces from all member states and civilian and police personnel.
"I am urging EASBRIG to include piracy in its operational framework because it is one of the major challenges we are facing. It will play a key role once it adapts maritime capabilities to protect trade routes against piracy," he added.
EASBRIG Commander Brig Gen Osman Nour Soubagale said the force was up to the challenge and would take up all the tasks once it is ready in 2010.
He said the AU had developed an African common defense and security policy in 2004 that would pave the way towards the full establishment of an African Stand-by Force capable for rapid deployment by 2010.
According to Brig Gen Soubagale, the AU timeline for full African standby force operationalisation includes conducting field-training exercises in 2009 that will include the lower cadres of the soldiers, police and civilians of lower rank.
Wetangula said the piracy problem in Somalia, which started as renegade youths targeting relief ships, has grown bigger with experienced and well-organized groups now attacking super-tankers.
In its initial stages, EASBRIG is expected to have an initial brigade military component of about 6,000 with an additional 2,000to 3,000 drawn from the nonmilitary component. The target group to be exercised will comprise 110 EASBRIG force leaders.
They will include 65 brigade headquarters military staff, 20 battalion command staff with the rest comprising police civilians.
The various units of the force are expected to be tested for their readiness for combat in November 2009 ahead of its initial deployment in 2010.
Source: Xinhua
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