Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary of Defense, Aden Bare Duale hands over the leadership symbol to Minister Marizamunda (right) as the incoming EASF chairman
Rwanda has taken over the leadership of the East African Standby Forces (EASF) from Kenya.
The handover was done this weekend in Nairobi, Kenya during a meeting that brought together Ministers of Defense in the East African Community (EAC) and the Comoros.
At the 32nd Ministers of Defense of the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) Member States meeting, Rwanda was represented by the Minister of Defense, Juvénal Marizamunda and Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, the Army Chief of Staff (ACOS) of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).
They were joined by their counterparts from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia,Somalia,Sudan,and Seychelles.
After a one-year tenure, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary of Defense, Aden Bare Duale handed over the leadership symbols and tools to the new incoming chairman, Minister Marizamunda.
The ceremony was marked with a short match pass ceremony in which the EASF and EAC flags were held high with a band salute beat.
Duale expressed confidence over his successor Marizamunda saying that it has been a pleasure serving the community despite the current challenges in the region.
Marizamunda said that he will work closely with member states, all partners and friends of EASF to promote a safer and more secure Eastern Africa region.
“Our collective efforts will undoubtedly contribute to a broader goal of contributing peace and stability on the African continent,” Marizamunda said.
The ministers also adopted the resolution of the African Union (AU) on 17th of January 2024, that called on Ethiopia and Somalia to refrain from actions and utterances that may negatively impact on the strong bond and good neigbourhood within the EAC community.
Colonel Jens Gynther Lindvig, the Defense Attaché of Denmark and chair of the Friends of EASF also attended the meeting.
The Council of Ministers was preceded by the Meeting of Chiefs of Defense Forces and Staff convened from 25-26 January 2024 which was also preceded by the EASF Experts Working Group held from 22-24 January 2024.
Discussions in these meetings were mainly focused on outstanding security situations in the region.
As a regional organisation whose mandate is to enhance peace and security in the Eastern Africa region, the Eastern Africa Standby Force is one of the five regional multidimensional forces of the African Standby Force (ASF) consisting of Military, Police and Civilian components, which among other things would deal with asymmetric threats.
These components stay on standby for rapid deployment at appropriate notice as provided for in the peace support operations scenarios of the ASF.
EASF draws its membership from ten active Member States namely Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and
