SA sticks to its support for crisis troops

Friday, January 31, 2014

Addis Ababa – South Africa will stick to its position to support a temporary interventionist standby force that would readily respond to crises situations in Africa.

This as African heads of state gathering for their summit in Ethiopia on Thursday night continued to debate the implementation of the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis (ACIRC), a military capacity with high reactivity to respond swiftly to emergency situations within the continent.

The majority of countries are said to be in favour of the ACIRC. The decision to establish such a force is believed to be informed by the overwhelming dependence of the African Union on funds provided by partners, something the union believes affects the implementation of African solutions to the political problems which arise in some countries.

State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, speaking to SAnews on the sidelines of the AU summit, confirmed that there was “confusion” that the AICRC initiative may derail the formation of a permanent African Standby Force that many want to be operational by 2015.

But he remained convinced that the initiative will be operational very soon.  

“It is supported. Yes, there was confusion that it will stall the (implementation) of the Africa Standby Force. But many heads of state believe both initiatives will complement each other, so both are being supported,” said Cwele.

According to the AU, ACIRC should be an efficient, robust and credible force, which can be deployed very rapidly, able to conduct operations of limited duration and objectives or contribute to creating enabling conditions for the deployment of larger AU and/or UN peace operations. It is an interim tool as the African Standby Force is meant to be operational by 2015.

The stopgap ACIRC would comprise a reservoir of 5 000 troops made up of operational modules in the form of 1 500-strong battle groups.

On a voluntary basis, member states of the AU will contribute troops and finance the capacity so as to act independently. In May last year, South Africa, Ethiopia and Uganda became the first country to raise their hands in support of the initiative and pledged to provide troops should a need arise. Command would rest in the AU Peace and Security Council and would asses all requests by a member state that wants to intervene.

Some African leaders believe that had such an interventionist force been in place, the violence which erupted in Mali early last year and events that led to the current atrocities in the Central African Republic could have been averted.

South Africa has notably been the strongest supporter of the ACIRC initiative, with Cwele saying the regional powerhouse remained convinced the plan will go through. Last year, President Jacob Zuma hosted several heads of state in Pretoria where the plan was given the thumbs up.

“Countries are starting to commit… money and are contributing logistical support. We are for it. We have been supporting it right from the beginning. If the AU is asking us (for troops), we have always said we are committing to it. We fully back the whole initiative,” said Cwele. – SAnews.gov.za