PEACE AND SECURITY ARCHITECTURE AFRICA UNION’S (AU): CHALLENGES OF AFRICA STANDBY FORCE (ASF) IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION

The African Union (AU) was established by Constitutive Act and through its 2002 Protocol on the establishment of a continental peace and security architecture which include the Peace and Security Council, the Continental Early Warning System, the Panel of the Wise, a Peace Fund and the African Stand-by Force. This was aimed at promoting peace, security and stability, and protection of “human and people’s rights”, among others. The Great Lakes Region since the 1994 Rwandan genocide which shocked the international community and the rest of world has witnessed ravaging wars, atrocities and devastation loss of lives. More than 4 million people have died as a result of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone. The East Africa Stand-by force (EASF) was established in 2007 by defense ministers from 13 countries to be used in peacekeeping missions to respond to national emergencies. According to the Eastern Africa Standby Brigade Coordination Mechanism the East African stand by force (EASF) was to go operational in November 2010 after the Standby Brigade, which was undergoing field training, as by the requirements set by the African Union. However the countries around the Great Lakes region have been under the gush of civil conflicts that have left tens of thousands of people homeless or displaced as refugees. The instability in the region has centered on countries such as DRC, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville and the Central African Republic. The conflicts within the region have gone unabated even with the presence of the international bodies like the UN, AU, peacekeepers, among others. This paper discusses the role of Africa Standby Force (ASF) and the East Africa Standby Force, as well as the challenges they face in dealing with conflicts in the Great Lakes Region.