Following the signing of the logistics base agreement yesterday, the force is almost set to perform its key missions.
The signing of the African Standby Force (ASF) Logistics Base agreement between the government of Cameroon and the African Union yesterday, October 12, 2015 in Yaounde, marked an important milestone in the setting up of the Force. The ASF is an international, continental and multidisciplinary peacekeeping force with military, police and civilian contingents that acts under the direction of the African Union.
In effect, soon after the African Union (AU) was founded in 2001 to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the need for the new body to intervene in conflict-torn member States was raised. Thus, the ASF was established by the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the AU which was signed in July 2002 and entered into force in December 2003. While Addis Ababa in Ethiopia serves as the Force’s headquarters, Douala in Cameroon was selected as the site of the African Union’s Continental Logistics Base (LOGBASE)
Stating the functions of the ASF, Article 13 of the PSC provides that the Standby Force undertakes observation and monitoring missions, peace support missions and intervenes in any member State going through grave circumstances or at the request of a member State in order to restore peace and security, in accordance with Article 4(h) and (j) of the Constitutive Act. More so, the ASF could deploy to prevent a dispute or a conflict from escalating, an on-going violent conflict from spreading to neighbouring areas or States or the resurgence of violence after parties to a conflict have reached an agreement.
Furthermore, the ASF has the mandate to ensure peace-building, including post-conflict disarmament and demobilisation. Besides any other function that may be mandated by the PSC or AU’s Assembly, the ASF could carry out humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of civilian population in conflict areas and support efforts to address major natural disasters.
