Rwanda Takes Over East African Defence Forces Leadership From Kenya
On Saturday, Kenya relinquished control of the East African Standby Forces (EASF) chairmanship to Rwanda, marking the commencement of Rwanda’s one-year term in the position.
During a gathering convened at a Nairobi hotel, the Defense Ministers from EASF Member States supervised the transition of leadership from Aden Duale, the Kenyan Defense Cabinet Secretary, to his Rwandan counterpart, Juvenal Marizaminda.
The EASF is a regional entity tasked with bolstering peace and security within the Eastern Africa region.
Its responsibility also encompasses being part of the African Standby Force (ASF), which is one of the five regional multidimensional forces. The ASF comprises Military, Police, and Civilian components.
As per the EASF, its function involves enabling the prompt deployment of forces for preventive deployment, swift intervention, and the execution of peace support, stability operations, and peace enforcement within Eastern Africa.
On January 25, 2024, the Eastern Africa Standby Force initiated the convening of the Eastern Africa Chiefs of Defence and Security (EACDS) gathering.
As per the EASF, the primary purpose of the two-day meeting that ended on January 27 was to discuss a range of policy, strategic, and operational issues that impact the Eastern Africa Standby Force.
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Addressing the handover event, CS Aden Duale called upon East African nations to resolve the diplomatic disputes affecting the region, particularly emphasizing the border tensions between Rwanda and Burundi, the Sudan crisis, and the conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia.
“From our own internal conflicts in our various countries to the crisis in Sudan, to the emerging conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia to the closure of the border between Burundi and Rwanda, we ask all our countries and all our friends that a solution must be found,” Duale added.
He additionally observed that the defense forces in the region encountered challenges requiring collective attention from all member states.
The handover ceremony involved the transfer of the EASF and EAC flags.
EASF draws its membership from ten active Member States namely Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda.
However, Comoros was not represented at the meeting.
Rwanda Takes Over East African Defence Forces Leadership From Kenya
