US RESPONSE TO AFRICAN CRISES: AN OVERVIEW AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE ACRI

This research paper analyzes the transition of the US-led African Crisis Response Force (ACRF) into the African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) in 1997. It examines the ACRI's focus on long-term capacity-building through military training for African battalions to enhance peacekeeping interoperability, while critiquing the initiative's lack of coordination with the OAU and UN, its reliance on US military doctrine, and the absence of a clear mechanism for deploying the trained forces.

• The African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) evolved from the African Crisis Response Force (ACRF), shifting from a proposal for a rapid-deployment military force to a long-term capacity-building training programme. While the ACRF aimed to create a force of nine or ten battalions to protect safe areas with an estimated cost of 25-40 million dollars, the ACRI focuses on enhancing peacekeeping capacities through training, joint exercises, and common doctrine without creating a standing force.
• The ACRI's military training is conducted by the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) and targets the creation of battalion-size units capable of peacekeeping or humanitarian operations. The 60-day programme includes basic soldiering skills (such as musketry and first aid) and specific peacekeeping tasks like convoy escort, disarmament, and negotiation. To ensure interoperability, the US provides approximately one million dollars worth of Motorola radios to participating countries.
• The US has allocated 15 million dollars for the ACRI in the 1997 fiscal year and requested approximately 20 million dollars for 1998. The initiative excludes countries governed by military governments, especially those that have displaced civilian governments.
• The author argues that the ACRI suffers from a critical 'de-linkage' between capacity-building and capacity utilisation. While the programme increases the number of trained infantry battalions, it does not address the lack of political will within the UN Security Council to deploy forces. Furthermore, the ACRI focuses on infantry training while neglecting other critical needs identified by the UN, such as civilian police and logistics.
• There are significant concerns regarding the transparency and legitimacy of the ACRI, as it remains a predominantly US-driven initiative. The author notes that the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has not received official communication regarding training in Senegal and Uganda, and members of the Ugandan legislature reported being unaware of the programme's objectives despite the presence of US Special Forces.
• The document highlights a contradiction in US military assistance, noting that while the ACRI promotes peacekeeping, the US has provided combat training to the Rwandan military. This training occurred while Rwanda was supporting the ADFL-led campaign against Mobutu's forces in Zaire, and included a propaganda campaign to encourage refugees in Zaire to return to Rwanda.

APA

Malan, M. (1997). US RESPONSE TO AFRICAN CRISES: AN OVERVIEW AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE ACRI. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper_24.pdf

Chicago

Malan, Mark. US RESPONSE TO AFRICAN CRISES: AN OVERVIEW AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE ACRI. Institute for Security Studies, 1997. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper_24.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Malan |first1=Mark |title=US RESPONSE TO AFRICAN CRISES: AN OVERVIEW AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE ACRI |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 1997 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper_24.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{malan1997response, author = {Malan, Mark}, title = {{US RESPONSE TO AFRICAN CRISES: AN OVERVIEW AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE ACRI}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1997}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper_24.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }