The role and place of the African Standby Force within the African Peace and Security Architecture

The document analyzes the African Standby Force (ASF) as a critical component of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). It argues that while the ASF is designed to provide a rapid, multidimensional response to African crises—including the right to intervene in cases of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity—its effectiveness is severely hindered by gaps in funding, logistics, administrative capacity, and political will. The author concludes that the ASF is unlikely to meet its projected 2010 operational capabilities and will likely have a modest impact on complex conflicts in the short to medium term.

• The African Union (AU) shifted from the Organisation of African Unity's (OAU) principle of non-interference to a regime based on human security, granting the AU the legal right and obligation to intervene in member states during grave circumstances such as war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
• The African Standby Force (ASF) is a multidimensional, non-standing force composed of military, police, and civilian components based in their countries of origin, organized into five regional brigades: SADC, EASBRIG, ECOBRIG, NASBRIG, and ECCASBRIG.
• The ASF is designed for six mission scenarios, ranging from military advisors and observer missions to full intervention in grave circumstances, with deployment timelines varying from 14 days for rapid deployment in genocide cases to 90 days for complex multidimensional missions.
• The AU's current strategy of deploying the ASF for 12–24 months before handing over to the UN is viewed as unrealistic given that the average length of a mission required for durable peace is at least five years.
• The ASF faces critical infrastructure deficits, specifically a lack of air and sea lift capabilities and the absence of established logistics depots, which undermines its ability to respond to crises effectively.
• Financial instability and poor administrative capacity at the AU Commission hinder the ASF's operationalization, as the AU lacks the absorption capacity to manage donor funds transparently and efficiently.
• There is a lack of clarity and formal regulation regarding the roles and powers of the AU versus Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in the authorization and use of ASF brigades.
• The author concludes that the ASF will not achieve its projected operational capabilities by 2010 and its contribution to conflict management in the short to medium term will remain modest.

APA

Dersso, S. A. (2010). The role and place of the African Standby Force within the African Peace and Security Architecture. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/209.pdf

Chicago

Dersso, Solomon A. The role and place of the African Standby Force within the African Peace and Security Architecture. Institute for Security Studies, 2010. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/209.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dersso |first1=Solomon A. |title=The role and place of the African Standby Force within the African Peace and Security Architecture |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=January 2010 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/209.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dersso2010role, author = {Dersso, Solomon A.}, title = {{The role and place of the African Standby Force within the African Peace and Security Architecture}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2010}, month = jan, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/209.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }