The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis: Advice for African Policymakers

The document examines the ACIRC, a proposed rapid deployment instrument for the African Union (AU) initiated by South Africa to address capability gaps in crisis response. It highlights operational hurdles, including political opposition from key member states, funding shortages, and a lack of strategic airlift capacity. The briefing argues that the ACIRC must be integrated into the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and coordinated with the UN to avoid becoming a reactive, short-term tool, while recommending a shift in deployment authority to the AU Peace and Security Council to ensure speed.

• The ACIRC was proposed by South Africa as a stopgap measure to provide the AU with a rapid deployment instrument, filling a capability gap exposed by the crisis in Mali where the ECOWAS standby force did not respond adequately.
• The instrument faces significant political opposition from major AU member states, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria, partly due to concerns regarding South African dominance.
• Operational success is hindered by critical resource gaps, specifically a lack of strategic and tactical airlift capacity among African nations, funding shortages due to a reliance on voluntary contributions, and concerns over troop-contributing countries' willingness to cede command and control to the AU.
• To ensure rapid deployment, the document recommends deferring the authority to deploy the ACIRC under 'scenario 6' (prevention of mass atrocities) from the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government to the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC).
• The ACIRC is envisioned to function in three primary deployment scenarios: as a bridging tool handing over to the UN, as a surge capacity for existing AU or UN missions, or providing long-term support for stand-alone combat operations where the UN declines to engage.
• There is a risk that the ACIRC could become a permanent instrument that disrupts the political balance of the region-based system centered on the African Standby Force (ASF), or create an 'elite club' that prioritizes military intervention over civilian peacemaking.

APA

Brosig, D. M., & Sempijja, D. N. (2015). The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis: Advice for African Policymakers. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-22.pdf

Chicago

Brosig, DR Malte, and DR Norman Sempijja. The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis: Advice for African Policymakers. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-22.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Brosig |first1=DR Malte |last2=Sempijja |first2=DR Norman |title=The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis: Advice for African Policymakers |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=22 July 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-22.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brosig2015african, author = {Brosig, DR Malte and Sempijja, DR Norman}, title = {{The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis: Advice for African Policymakers}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-22.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }