KAMPALA – Maj Gen Sam Kavuma, the Deputy Commander Land Forces of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) has said that the Eastern African region is still faced with challenges related to security and conflicts which may have adverse effects on social economic transformation agenda of the region.
Gen Kavuma was on Monday opening the 27th ordinary EASF policy organ meeting of expert working group in Kampala, Naguru.
The two days meeting attended by delegates from the ten member states is to discuss among others, activity plans for 2020, EASF crisis response mechanism and development of policy for employment and deployment of civilians in EASF peace support mission.
He was however pleased, that the Eastern African Standby force had built capacity that may prevent and respond to conflicts in the region.
He thanked member states for the resources committed to the project.
He urged the delegates to discuss the hicup of the legal framework as he was informed that, in it’s current form, the legal frame work does not fully address the current regional threats.
The Director EASF Secretariat Dr Abdulahi Omar Bouh from Djibouti, thanked Uganda for accepting to host the meeting and for the hospitality accorded to the delegates.
He confided that, 79.27% of the activities planned from the 26th conference that sat in Bujumbura had been achieved as by 28th Nov 2018.
Dr Abdullahi thanked all the secretariat departments for the timely submission of their reports.
He reassured the delegates that EASF will continue to exercise and execute it’s mandate by improving its capacity of maintaining and sustaining an intergratered standby operational force, ready to respond to all emerging crises within its mandate in the region.
This, he said, will be achieved through continuous trainings and exercises to enhance security in the east African region.
He additionally thanked international partners, especially the united kingdom, the Nordic countries and the federal republic of Germany for the technical support.
EASF was formed to enhance peace and security in the region.
It therefore works to avert crisis and, or responds to crisis within the region.
The member states include Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda. Others are Seychelles, Somalia, the Sudan and the host Uganda.
In the execution of its mandate, EASF works closely with AU structures.
The meeting that continues up to Friday, 6th December, will see EASF
Chiefs of Defence and Security meet on 4th December and end with the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Defence and Security.
