Africa: AU Launches Key Peacekeepers Joint Exercises
By Eric Sande
ADDIS ABABA---A joint military exercise named Amani Africa under the continent’s standby force programme will today be hosted by top Africa’s military officers and civilians in Addis Ababa. The exercise, which will take 10 days, is composed of five standby forces run by regional blocs.
The non-combat military exercise was launched by the African Union, with support of the European Union and Canada to improve the continent’s capacity to respond to conflicts and to enhance peace-keeping operations.
The Amani Africa cycle is being used as vehicle to assist the African Union in making the African standby force operational through training and evaluating the continental decision making process.
Jean Ping, African Union boss,at the official launching of the exercise stated that it is the dream of African people to take care of African peace keeping operations. He added that despite the high level influence and involvement of non-African actors in African peace keeping, the AU is now set to play a leading role in the continent’s peace keeping activities. The African Union and European Union launched the Amani Africa programme in November 2008 as part of the cooperation between the two continents in peace and security
More than 200 senior military officers from across Africa have since shown up in the exercise and is being overseen by military chiefs from Nato, United Nations, United States and the European Union. Senior military officials and civilian decision makers will learn how the central command post in Addis Ababa would respond to any possible conflict on the continent.
The exercise uses a scenario based on a fictitious country called Carana and makes no specific reference to any particular African country.
The Amani Africa cycle was officially launched on 21 November 2008 at the AU - EU Ministerial Troika in Addis Ababa. Over the two-year cycle the programme will conduct a range of activities to train AU Staff, in accordance with the AU /ASF doctrine and procedures to improve decision-making for crisis management at continental level. In practical terms it will involve strengthening the politico-strategic capabilities of the African Union by putting in place procedures and permanent mission structures covering everything from the political decision making to the commitment of forces and ensuring predictable funding.