EASTERN AFRICA STANDBY BRIGADE

Transcription

1 EASTERN AFRICA STANDBY BRIGADE REPORT OF THE 5 TH ORDINARY MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF DEFENCE AND SECURITY OF THE EASTERN AFRICA STANDBY BRIGADE SAFARI PARK HOTEL, NAIROBI, KENYA 17 AUGUST 2007 Eastern Africa Standby Brigade Coordination Mechanism (EASBRICOM) Telephone: /20 Westwood park Telefax: P.O. Box , Karen, Nairobi.

2 REPORT OF THE 5 TH ORDINARY MEETING OF THE MINISTERS OF DEFENCE AND SECURITY OF THE EASTERN AFRICA STANDBY BRIGADE INTRODUCTION 1. The 5 th Ordinary Meeting of the Ministers of Defence and Security of the Eastern Africa Region on the establishment of the Eastern Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG) was held at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, on 17 th August The meeting was held pursuant to the 2 nd Extra Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Defence and Security of EASBRIG, which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 30 March It will be recalled that the 2 nd Extra Ordinary Council meeting, inter alia, created the Independent Coordination Mechanism (ICM) as the EASBRIG Coordination Mechanism (EASBRICOM), to serve as the EASBRIG Secretariat, and mandated it to commission expert studies to make recommendations to the EACDS and Council in the following areas: a) The duplications in functions and inconsistencies in the EASBRIG structures. b) Harmonisation of the EASBRIG Policy Framework Document and MoU on the Establishment of the EASBRIG. c) The Plans of Action and Budget for 2007 for the PLANELM and the Brigade Headquarters. d) Development of Policy documents for EASBRIG that is, the Procurement Manual, Financial Regulations and the Employment Policy. e) Undertake visits to the non-participating regional Member States. 3. Consequently, the Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Eastern Africa Region met at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, on 16 th August 2007, to receive and deliberate on the report of the Experts Working Group, which convened at the Peace Support Training Centre, Karen, Nairobi, from August 2007, relating to the establishment of the EASBRIG, as mandated by Council. 1

3 4. The meeting was chaired by Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Sentamu, the State Minister of Defence of Uganda and attended by the following Ministers of State: Lieutenant General Germain Niyoyankana (Burundi), Lieutenant Colonel Hamadi Normal Mze (representing the Minister of Comoros), Mr. Ougoureh Kifleh (Djibouti), H.E. Kasahun Dender (Ethiopia), Hon. Njenga Karume (Kenya), General James Kabarebe (Rwanda), Lieutenant Colonel Roseline Clifford (representing the Minister of Seychelles), Hon. Abdirizak Issak Bihi (MP, Somalia), General Ismat Abd ElRahman (representing the Minister of Sudan), and Mr. Geoffrey Mugumya, the Director of Peace and Security of the AU Commission. OPENING SESSION 5. The 5 th Ordinary Meeting of the Ministers of Defence and Security was opened by H.E. Mwai Kibaki, the President of the Republic of Kenya. The Guest of Honour extended a warm welcome to the Ministers, Chiefs of Defence Staff and Partners, and thanked them for choosing Kenya as the venue for the meeting. President Kibaki remarked that the meeting was taking place at a time when Africa s security challenges have taken on a globalised character, since the end of the cold war. It was therefore necessary to pave the way for the evolution of an enabling environment for sustainable economic development. He expressed his optimism that the meeting will make practical recommendations on how to bring them to an end through military and diplomatic interventions. To this end, he urged Member States not to rely only on the already overstretched international resources, but to make the necessary contributions. He also called on the international community to join in the regional efforts not as leaders, but as Partners. The Guest of Honour traced the efforts of the region in establishing the Policy Framework of the EASBRIG, in April 2004, following the formal inauguration of the AU in President Kibaki noted that EASBRIG is one of the five regional brigades representing the devolution of power by the AU, to the Regions, an expression of African political will that proved effective in the past, for example in the experience of the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) for the resolution of the conflict in Liberia in the 1990s. The Guest of Honour noted that the challenge now remains with the newly created Independent Coordination Mechanism to make the Eastern Africa Standby Brigade operational by 2010 as required by the roadmap for the African Standby Force. In conclusion, President Kibaki thanked the IGAD 2

4 Secretariat for its stewardship, and the development Partners who have supported this organisation. 6. The Chair of the Council of Ministers of Defence and Security, Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Sentamu, expressed gratitude and appreciation to President Kibaki for accepting the invitation to officiate at the meeting, as well as launch the website of EASBRIG. She noted that this was eloquent demonstration of the President s keen interest in the EASBRIG. The Minister reiterated that the Eastern Africa Region Standby Brigade is a constituent part of the continental five regions created by the AU to deal with matters of peace and security, following the establishment of the Peace and Security Council and the African Standby Force in 2003, to respond to conflicts. The Chair outlined the efforts in creating EASBRIG and noted that since its creation in January 2007, EASBRICOM has demonstrated tremendous efforts to rally the Region and partners in the development of EASBRIG. She was hopeful that by 2010, the Region will have developed full operational capability to undertake peace support operations and missions, and to be able to assist other Regions. Hon. Nankabirwa paid tribute to Kenya for her contribution to peace and security within the region, and called on EASBRICOM to take advantage of the atmosphere and tempo set by President s Kibaki s government to develop its capacity for conflict prevention, management and resolution in the Region. The Chair of the Council thanked IGAD for its contribution and called on the Friends of EASBRIG to facilitate the development of the Region s Standby Force. 7. The Host Minister and the Minister of State for Defence of the Republic of Kenya, Hon Njenga Karume welcomed the H.E. the President and thank him for gracing the occasion. He also thanked the Chairperson of the Council for convening the 5 th session following the previous meeting of April 2006 in Nairobi. He welcomed the delegates to Kenya and adviced them to visit other parts of Kenya. 8. The Director of EASBRICOM, Mr. Simon Mulongo welcomed H. E. Mwai Kibaki, the President of the Republic of Kenya and delegates to the meeting. He introduced the thirteen EASBRIG member countries as well as the Donor partners whom he referred to as Friends of EASBRIG. He pointed out the key issues on the agenda being Policy reviews and Policy implementation, development plans and development support for EASBRIG. He finally expressed appreciation to the President and the host nation for their hospitality. 3

5 CLOSED SESSION DISCUSSIONS 9. The Ministers of Defence and Security met in a closed session to deliberate on the report of the Chiefs of Defence Staff. The report was presented by General Aronda Nyakairima, Chief of Defence Forces of the Uganda Peoples Defence Force (UPDF), covering the following items: a) The status of operationalisation of EASBRICOM. b) Expert studies on inconsistencies between the functions of the EASBRIG structures, standby arrangements, harmonisation of the Policy Framework and MoU, and the development of Service Regulations / Employment Policy. c) Formation of Friends of EASBRIG Donor Group. d) EASBRIG Development Support Committee. e) Rapid Deployment Concept (RDC). f) Winning Over Members Who Had Stayed Away, or not Joined. g) Admission of Burundi. h) Rotation and Remuneration of Officers. i) Handover by IGAD. j) Status of Hosting Agreements. k) Operationalisation of the Logistics Base (LOGBASE). l) Technical Advisors to EASBRICOM. And m) Training. And n) Budget. Admission of Burundi 10. In their deliberations, the meeting noted that in accordance with the guidelines provided by the AU, Burundi did not belong to the region and observed that as a procedural matter, Burundi ought to be formally invited by EASBRIG before it can participate in their work. The Chiefs agreed on the need for clear procedures on membership and non- 4

6 membership of the mechanism, but agreed to exercise a sense of flexibility and solidarity to allow the Burundi Delegate to participate in the deliberations. 11. The Head of Delegation of Burundi expressed sincere thanks and appreciation for the warm welcome accorded to the country. He promised that Burundi will seek to meet the necessary criteria and continue with efforts to formalise its membership, among others, in consideration of its recent history of conflicts, and proactive membership of emerging institutions within the region towards development. 12. Subsequently, the meeting of the Council warmly welcomed Burundi to participate in its meetings as an observer, pending the formalisation of its membership. Council accepted the EACDS recommendation to fast-track the admission of Burundi into EASBRIG. The Chair of the Council was mandated to write to the Assembly and AU informing them of the Burundi s interest to join the EASBRIG. Rotation of the Membership of the Bureau 13. The Meeting took note of the recommendation by the EACDS for the rotation of the membership of the Bureau that pending the harmonisation of the existing Policy Documents, the Council rotate the membership. The Council agreed to separate the issue of rotation of the Bureau and the harmonisation of the existing Policy Documents. It resolved to rotate the Bureau following English alphabetical order and the following Bureau was elected to take over from the current one: a. Chair - Comoros b. Vice Chair - Rwanda c. Rapporteur - Uganda The status of operationalisation of EASBRICOM 14. The meeting noted that the key Officers of EASBRICOM had taken up their posts and the recently-appointed Head of Finance from Djibouti 5

7 was due to report to work station. The Joint Chief of Staff of the National Armed Forces of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia expressed his country s reservation on the appointment of the Head Finance. The Council directed the chairperson to go and make the necessary amendment and appoint the Somalian candidate following withdrawal of Djibouti candidate by the Djibouti delegation. Visits Undertaken by EASBRIG Officials 15. The Council noted the numerous visits undertaken by EASBRIG Officials and directed that appropriate guidelines, including criteria and priorities, be developed by EASBRICOM for presentation at the next meeting of the EACDS and Council. The meeting further emphasised the need for periodic audit of the accounts of EASBRIG structures, including EASBRICOM. Expert Studies 16. The Council took note of the recommendations by the EACDS and directed that EASBRICOM convenes the meeting of Experts within six weeks, to conclude the study on the proposals relating to the Harmonised Policy Framework and MoU, and the Service Regulations. Training 17. The Council expressed satisfaction with the training plan and adopted it. It also expressed the need to review and update the pledged troops and resources by Member States and make them available for training. The meeting further agreed that EASBRICOM undertakes training budget development. Concept of Rapid Deployment Capability 18. The Council was informed that the report of the RDC Workshop in Addis Ababa, from July 2007, was at variance with the vision of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for a rapidly deployable force. In consideration of the fact that the AU is the mandating authority and had not yet finalised the concept, the meeting agreed to defer discussion 6

8 of the concept to await its finalisation by the AU. The Council proposed that the AU be requested to give an indication of the timelines for the development of the RDC concept and expressed the view that EASBRIG could proceed with training of national forces for rapid deployment. Efforts at Winning Back Member States 19. The meeting welcomed the resumption of participation in EASBRIG by Comoros and Seychelles and took note of the efforts by EASBRICOM and EASBRIG Policy Organs, to bring back the remaining countries, namely Eritrea, Madagascar and Mauritius. Rotation and Remuneration of EASBRIG Officers 20. The Council agreed that the determination of the rotation of officers seconded to EASBRIG structures for a period of two or three years be considered within the framework of the proposed harmonised Policy Framework and MoU. The Council also agreed with the establishment of minimum standards for the secondment of officers to the PLANELM and Brigade Headquarters. It directed that the required standards be developed by the Experts Working Group. Candidature for the command of the Brigade Headquarters 21. Djibouti offered its candidature for the command of the Brigade Headquarters for consideration by Council. The Council accepted the Djibouti s offer and asked them to submit the CV of their candidate to the EACDS. Handover by IGAD 22. The Council was informed that IGAD had not fully handed over the EASBRIG assets. The Council acknowledged the importance of 7

9 official handover and decided that the Chair write to IGAD to complete the handover of the EASBRIG resources while the handover ceremony is to be held during the next Council meeting. Status of EASBRICOM Hosting Agreement 23. The Council requested the host government of Kenya to expedite the conclusion of the hosting agreement for EASBRICOM, to enable it to fully carry out its functions. The Kenya Government assured the meeting that the process will be completed soon. Operationalisation of the LOGBASE 24. The Council approved the request by EASBRICOM for a study to operationalise the logistics system and the LOGBASE. It was directed that the said study be undertaken within a period of three months. It also directed EASBRICOM to liaise with the government of Ethiopia on the operationalisation of the LOGBASE. Formation of Friends of EASBRIG 25. Having deliberated on the proposal to establish a Friends of EASBRIG, the Council agreed to the recommendation to establish the proposed arrangement as a forum to support EASBRIG s programmes, and periodic reports on interactions within that forum. The Council directed that Chair of the Council must be informed before such arrangements are made. Technical Advisors to EASBRICOM 26. The Council adopted the recommendation on technical assistance from international organisations, and cooperation 8

10 with regional organisations, within appropriate legal frameworks, such as a MoU. EASBRIG Development Support Committee 27. The Council took note of the British efforts in identifying training and development support for EASBRIG as a priority area requiring support from the UK and international partners. It called for appropriate safeguards for regional ownership of the arrangements and emphasised that the partners only support EASBRIG initiatives. Budget 28. The Council approved the budgets of EASBRIG structures and directed EASBRICOM to safeguard against future excesses and mismanagement. Assessed Contributions 29. The meeting of the Council urges member states to meet their obligations and thanked those who have contributed. The Council directed the Chair to bring the matter to the attention of the Summit. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE EXPERTS WORKING GROUP 30. The Council adopted the report of the meeting of the Eastern Africa Chiefs of Defence Staff, which was held at Nairobi, Kenya, on 17 August 2007, with amendments and commended the Experts for a job well done. 9

11 CLOSING 31. At the end of their deliberations, the Chair, Hon Ruth Nankabirwa, expressed her personal gratitude to the Council of Ministers of Defence and Security of EASBRIG for their participation and constructive contributions to the deliberations. Report adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Defence and Security of The Eastern Africa Region Standby Brigade Done at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, on the 17 th day of August 2007 Hon Ruth Nankabirwa Sentamu Chairperson and Head of Delegation of the Republic of Uganda Lieutenant Colonel Hamadi Normal Mze Head of Delegation of the Comoros Union Mr. Ougoureh Kifleh Ahmed Head of Delegation of the Republic of Djibouti 10

12 H.E. Kasahun Dender Head of Delegation of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Hon. Stephen Tarus Head of Delegation of the Republic of Kenya General James Kabarebe Head of Delegation of the Republic of Rwanda Lieutenant Colonel Roseline Clifford Head of Delegation of the Republic of Seychelles Hon. Abdirizak Issak Bihi Head of Delegation of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia General Ismat Abd ElRahman Head of Delegation of the Republic of the Sudan 11

13 COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE 5 TH ORDINARY MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF DEFENCE AND SECURITY OF EASTERN AFRICA REGION ON THE EASTERN AFRICA STANDBY BRIGADE The Ministers of Defence and Security of the Eastern Africa Region on the Eastern Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG) met at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, on 17 th August The meeting was opened by H. E. Mwai Kibaki, the President of the Republic of Kenya. The meeting was chaired by Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Sentamu the State Minister of Defence of Uganda and attended by Lt Gen Germain Niyoyankana Minister of Defence of the Republic of Burundi, H. E. Ougoureh Kilfeh Ahmed Minister of Defence of the Republic of Djibouti; H. E. Kasuhun Dender, State Minister of National Defence Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Hon. Njenga Karume, Minister of State for Defence of the Republic of Kenya; Hon Stephen Tarus, Assistant Minister of State for Defence of the Republic of Kenya and Hon Abdirizak Issak Bihi the Minister of Defence the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and Gen James Kabarebe Chief of Rwanda Defence Forces, represented the Minister for Defence of Rwanda; Lt Gen Ismat Abd EllRahman, Chief of Staff of the Land Forces of the Sudan Armed Forces represented the Minister of Defence of the Sudan; Lt Col Normal Mze Hamadi the Chief of Staff of the Union of Comoros Armed Forces represented the Minister of Defence of the Union of Comoros; Lt Col Leon Clifford Roseline, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Seychelles represented the Minister of Defence of Seychelles. Mr. Geoffrey Mugumya the Director of Peace and Security of the African Union Peace and Security Commission represented AU Commission and Mr. Simon Mulongo the Director of EASBRICOM attended the meeting. The meeting was also attended by representatives of United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Egypt and France.

14 Other Institutions and Regional Organizations that attended the meeting are: Multinational Standby High Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG), Germany Technical Cooperation (GTZ) Regional Centre for Small Arms (RECSA) International Conference on Great Lakes Region and the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC). His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki officially inaugurated the EASBRIG Website. The meeting recalled the decisions of the 1 st Extra Ordinary Summit of EASBRIG held on the 28 th January 2007 in Addis Ababa and subsequently the meeting of the 2 nd Extra Ordinary Council of Ministers of Defence held in Nairobi on 30 th March 2007 which operationalized the Independent Coordination Mechanism for EASBRIG now named EASBRICOM. The Meeting noted that EASBRICOM is now functional and was in its initial activities convened the 6 th Ordinary Session of the Committee of Eastern Africa Chiefs of Defence Staff (EACDS) and the 5 th Council of Ministers of Defence and Security. The Council welcomed the resumption participation of Union of Comoros and further welcomed the participation of Seychelles for the first time to EASBRIG. The Council further welcomed the participation of Burundi in EASBRIG initially on observer status and decided to fast-track the admission of Burundi into EASBRIG. The Council decided to:- a. Rotate the membership of the EASBRIG Bureau, as follows Chair - Comoros Vice Chair - Rwanda Rapporteur - Uganda b. Expressed appreciation to Uganda, for having chaired EASBRIG, Madagascar for having been the Vice Chair and Kenya for being the Rapportuer for the last three years. c. Directed EASBRICOM to convene a meeting of experts within six weeks, to conclude the study on the proposals relating to the Harmonized Policy Framework and MoU, and the Service Regulations. 3

15 d. Expressed the need to review and update the pledged troops and resources by Member States, and called on them to make them available for training. Towards this end, the Ministers further agreed that EASBRICOM undertakes training budget development. e. The Ministers took note of the state of assessed contributions by Member States and appealed to Member States to pay their contributions including the arrears. f. Called upon IGAD to expedite the handover of EASBRIG assets as soon as possible. g. Directed that EASBRICOM undertakes a study to operationalise the logistics system and the Logistics Base (LOGBASE) be undertaken within a period of three months. h. Approved the formation of the Friends of EASBRIG for provision of technical assistance and other forms of support from international partners. i. Thanked the Government of Kenya for the warm welcome and the hospitality accorded to the 5 th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Defence and Security of Eastern Africa. Done on 17 th August 2007 Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya Eastern Africa Standby Brigade Coordination Mechanism (EASBRICOM) P o Box Telephone: / Telfax : Nairobi Kenya 4