The African Standby Force: External Support to an ‘African Solution to African Problems’?

Abstract

About IDSThe Institute of Development Studies is one of the world's leading charities for research, teaching and communications on international development. Founded in 1966, the Institute enjoys an international reputation based on the quality of its work and the rigour with which it applies academic skills to real world challenges. Its purpose is to understand and explain the world, and to try to change it -to influence as well as to inform.IDS hosts five dynamic research programmes, five popular postgraduate courses, and a family of worldclass web-based knowledge services. These three spheres are integrated in a unique combination -as a development knowledge hub, IDS is connected into and is a convenor of networks throughout the world.The Institute is home to approximately 80 researchers, 50 knowledge services staff, 50 support staff and about 150 students at any one time. But the IDS community extends far beyond, encompassing an extensive network of partners, former staff and students across the development community worldwide.

"Burundi and Gambia: Regional Security and Rapid Deployment Capability. The Utility of the African Standby Force "

“…Achievement of Full Operational Capability (FOC) has been challenging. Relevant here, include poor logistic base, the challenge of interoperability between multinational and multidimensional components, dearth of political will, inadequate training, poor funding and lack of willingness by the AU member states to commit their troops to the ASF amongst others (Bachmann, 2011;Beza, 2015 The Malian crises of 2012 exposed the RDC status of the ASF, as highly de icient in spite of the political commitment the AU. Consequently, the French intervention reminded the continent of an ideal RDC required for such scenario.…”

Establishing the Full Operational Capability of the East African Standby Force: Challenges and Opportunities

“…The initial idea to create an early response force to deal with the various crises affecting the continent was presented in the recommendations of the second meeting of the African Chiefs of Defence Staff held at Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1997 (Tlalka, n.d.). It was envisaged that such a force based on five sub-regions would be able to react in crisis situations before the UN would engage (Bachmann, 2011).…”

Innovations in ‘African solutions to African problems’: the evolving practice of regional peacekeeping in sub-Saharan Africa

“…The ASF's 2003 Policy Framework recommends considering whether ‘AU and Regional operations should be designed with the view to eventually handing over mandates and responsibilities to the UN’, but does not restrict the ASF to transitional missions (AU 2003: 3, 30). Indeed, Bachmann (2011: 27, 41) highlights that the scenario for the ASF's 2010 command post exercise was a long-term mission, and argues that the AU may be turning away from temporary deployments ‘to scenarios where Africans themselves assume peace consolidation tasks in the long run’.…”

“…However, despite progress on establishing the ASF's structure, doctrine and training facilities, the obstacles to a substantial and sustainable continental peacekeeping capability remain formidable. Progress on the five sub-regional stand-by brigades has been uneven (Alghali & Mbaye 2008; Bachmann 2011; Kinzel 2008), and as of December 2010 there has been no ‘comprehensive [Memorandum of Understanding] on the use of the ASF for AU mandated missions’ (AU 2010: 50). Moreover, troop pledges are ‘not yet a guarantee of force effectiveness’ (Bachmann 2011: 38).…”