Project Strengthening of EASFCOM in planning and training for peace support operations
Project region Member states: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya
Project partner Eastern Africa Standby Force Coordination Mechanism (EASFCOM) Project term October 2008 to September 2011 (first phase)
Budget EUR 3 million (first phase)
Context
The emerging African Peace and Security Architecture is based on a comprehensive mandate for the African Union (AU) in the area of peace and security. Among other things, it envisages the establishment of a multi- dimensional African Standby Force (ASF). The Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) is one of five regional forces within the ASF and consists of military personnel, police and civilian experts. To contribute to the estab- lishment of the EASF and develop its planning and steering component, the Eastern Africa Standby Force Coordination Mechanism (EASFCOM, known as EAS- BRICOM until 2010) was established in April 2007. EASFCOM faces the challenge of facilitating cooperation between military, police and civilian personnel in the event of a crisis, which requires integrated planning and implementation of peace support operations. There is still scope for improvement in the Standby Force at present, however. The same applies to training, where there is still potential for development in terms of both quality and quantity, especially for civilian
experts. The opportunities to make a positive contribu- tion to peace support operations through the EASF and the ASF have therefore not yet been utilised to the full. EASFCOM has been given a political mandate to identify training needs and standards and to commission and coordinate training delivery. It is still a very new organisation, however, and it will therefore benefit
from competent advisory services to develop its capacities to fulfil these functions satisfactorily in the medium term.
Project
The project’s long-term goal is to apply an integrated approach to planning and training for peace support operations for which EASFCOM is responsible, in compli- ance with AU and UN standards. To that end, close coop- eration between civilian, police and military compo- nents is required.
In order to achieve this goal, Germany supports EASFCOM, firstly, through the provision of process, organisational and management advice and, secondly, with technical advice on the management of civilian and integrated training programmes. The project advises EASFCOM on the development of training strategies, the definition of standards in compliance with AU and UN criteria, and regional coordination and organisation of courses. The training courses themselves will be delivered on behalf of EASFCOM at two regional training centres: Rwanda Military Academy (RMA) and the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC), Kenya.
The German project promotes networking between EASFCOM and the AU, other regional organisations and training centres, in order to facilitate an exchange of experience and shared learning processes with a view to achieving coherence in the development of the ASF.
As at: June 2011 F A C T S H E E T : P E A C E A N D S E C U R I T Y Photo: EASF | Ludwig Kirchner,
project manager GIZ | EASFCOM
Results
The still relatively new cooperation between Germany and EASFCOM within this project framework is already achieving some initial successes. Planning and training exercises for peace support operations are based on the integrated approach involving the military, police and civilian components. Support has been provided within the project framework for EASFCOM to apply the integrated approach to the entire mission cycle and to integrate it into the strategic planning. In November and December 2009, EASF held its first field training exercise (FTX); this took place in Djibouti with the involvement of all member states. It can thus be judged a major political success for the establishment of the Eastern African Standby Force and the African Standby Force as a whole. Civilian experts participated in both the preparatory courses and the training scenario. At the initiative of the two German projects on site, this was preceded by an exchange of views between EASF- COM and ECOWAS about the lessons learned during the West African FTX in June 2009.
Furthermore, in 2009, the curriculum and materials for a foundation course on participation in peace support operations were developed and delivered to prepare civilian experts for the regional field exercises. Based on the experience gained, the course was updated in 2010, developed further in conceptual terms, and held on two additional occasions.
In 2010, various courses were devised and delivered: an election monitoring course in Burundi, a course on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration in Sudan, a media management course in Rwanda, and a course for the mid-level management level in Ethiopia. In addition, a study trip of EASFCOM’s multidimensional planning element to place to Darfur and Juba in Sudan/ South Sudan in order to facilitate an exchange of expe- rience with ongoing AU/UN peace operations.
Contact
EASFCOM
Karen-Westwood Park Road P.O. Box 1444-00502 Karen-Nairobi | Kenya
Contact person Ludwig Kirchner T +254 - 20 884 720-103 F +254 - 20 884 696 E [email protected] I www.giz.de | www.easfcom.org
| Role play on peacekeeping during the Field Training Exercise for the EASF in Djibouti
| Participants at regional alumni conference in Tanzania in 2007
| Open Expert Dialogue, July 2007