President Yoweri Museveni has pledged to engage East African leaders on strengthening the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) and reviving its Heads of State Summit, which has not been held since 2014.
Museveni made the pledge after meeting EASF Director Brigadier General Ronald Rwivanga at State House in Entebbe.
The meeting focused on efforts to strengthen the region’s peace and security architecture and improve the standby force’s ability to respond to security and humanitarian emergencies.
Museveni, who is currently Chairperson of the East African Community, said he would engage fellow Heads of State and Government to support the EASF and work towards convening its summit.
Rwivanga asked Museveni to use his regional influence to encourage Djibouti, Comoros and Sudan to fully participate in the force.
He also appealed for the summit to be convened, saying it would give regional leaders an opportunity to renew their political commitment to the EASF, provide strategic direction and strengthen collective ownership.
Museveni further pledged to support efforts to improve the force’s financial capacity, particularly in areas including humanitarian assistance, rescue operations, rapid deployment and emergency response.
The EASF brings together military, police and civilian capabilities from countries in Eastern Africa and is designed to provide a coordinated regional response to peace and security challenges.
The President’s intervention comes as Kampala hosts the 36th Ordinary Policy Organs Meeting of the EASF from August 10 to 15, where member states are discussing strategic, operational and institutional issues affecting the regional security mechanism.
Rwivanga also briefed Museveni on Uganda’s contribution to the force, including a recent verification exercise that assessed the country’s military, police and civilian capabilities pledged to the EASF.
The exercise examined Uganda’s readiness, personnel, equipment, interoperability and capacity for rapid deployment in support of regional peace operations.
The renewed push for a summit comes after more than a decade without a meeting of EASF Heads of State, with regional officials calling for stronger political backing, predictable financing and improved operational capacity.
Museveni’s pledge could therefore provide fresh political momentum to efforts to bring regional leaders together and strengthen the EASF as a mechanism for responding to security and humanitarian challenges in Eastern Africa.
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