Journal of Global Peace and Conflict

Why the Assurance of Eastern African Standby Force (EASF) on Regional Peace and Security Remains Uncertain
Capt. William Oluoch Ligawa

Abstract
Eastern African Standby Force (EASF) is the regional security mechanism for the Great Lakes Region. The force is mandated with the tasks of conflict intervention in the region, through preventive diplomacy and peace support operations in conflict zones. For African nations are marred with violent conflicts, durable peace continues to be an illusion despite the presence of ongoing peace support operations. In such pacification processes, regional forces are supposed to augment the efforts of other agencies such as the UN and the international community. Consequently questions raised on the suitability of such platforms suggest that regional security mechanisms are the most appropriate tools to counter conflict challenges. However, these forces have not been able to carry out successful peace support operations in conflict zones due to diverse reasons. In this regard, this article assesses challenges hindering the Eastern African Standby Force (EASF) from successfully executing intervention missions in the Great Lakes Region where there have been recurrent violent conflicts in the Post Cold war era.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jgpc.v3n2a5