African defence experts gathered on Monday in Ethiopia to lay the groundwork for a continent-wide peacekeeping force that aims to provide rapid reaction to crises and conflicts within Africa.
About 100 experts, who elected South Africa to chair the three-day meeting, were preparing rules and procedures for the newly formed African Union’s Peace and Security Council to govern the peacekeeping force, according to Said Djinnit, of the interim commission on peace, security and political affairs.
Their suggestions will be passed on to African defence chiefs later this week, and then on to the AU’s other decision making bodies, with a view to being presented to African heads of state at a July summit.
The development of an Africa-wide peacekeeping force capable of intervening in the continent’s frequent and complex wars and clashes was mandated when the African Union — the successor of the former Organisation of African Unity — met last year in Durban.
The force is to be up and running by 2005. Its creation was encouraged by the international community outside of Africa, which for various reasons ranging from cost to politics has been unable to intervene in Africa’s myriad conflicts.
The failure of the United Nations to intervene against the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives is often cited as a major impetus from within Africa for the force.
Last month, an interim peacekeeping operation began in Burundi to monitor a ceasefire that had been repeatedly violated since it was signed in December. South Africa sent its first contingent of 126 troops, part of a committment of 3 500 troops made by Mozambique, Ethiopia and South Africa.
In Addis later this week, on Thursday, African defence chiefs will consider the expert group’s recommendations on establishing an African standby force and a military staff council, along with funding sources for the force.
The defence chiefs’ final recommendations in turn will be sent to the AU’s executive council of foreign ministers, for eventual approval by the AU summit in July in Maputo, Mozambique, Djinnit said.
The rules governing the peacekeeping force will also be submitted to the G-8 industrialised countries, which are committed to supporting such a force under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), Djinnit said.
The meeting went into closed session after adopting an agenda and electing South Africa to chair. Ys(fopia, Egypt, Gabon and Benin were elected first, second and third vice-chairpersons and rapporteur, respectively.
The experts have two working documents before them: ”Framework for the Draft Common African Defence and Security Council,” prepared by the AU Commission; and ”The Concept Paper on the African Standby Force and the Military Staff Committee,” prepared by a panel of consultants for the Peace and Security Directorate of the AU.
The concept paper outlines model standby arrangements now used by the United Nations, which is capable of mounting a ”traditional” peacekeeping mission within 30 days and a ”complex” mission in 90 days.
The UN also keeps a brigade-level force on readiness standby in Europe, which could serve as a model for Africa. – Sapa-DPA