policy-insights-22-f7e6240aaef06b76.pdf

This briefing examines the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis (ACIRC), a proposed rapid deployment instrument for the African Union (AU) initiated by South Africa. It analyzes the ACIRC's role as a stopgap for the African Standby Force's (ASF) missing rapid deployment capability, detailing the operational, political, and logistical challenges facing its implementation, and suggests ways to integrate it with AU and UN peace architectures.

• The ACIRC was proposed on a South African initiative in 2013 to address the AU's lack of a rapid deployment capability, as evidenced by the inadequate response of the ECOWAS standby force during the conflict in Mali, which necessitated French intervention.
• The ACIRC is based on principles of volunteerism, continentalism (AU-centered rather than regional economic community-centered), self-sustenance, and the ability to deploy within 15 days.
• Significant political opposition exists among AU member states, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria, partly due to concerns regarding South African dominance.
• Operational hurdles for the ACIRC include a lack of strategic and tactical airlift capacity among African nations, funding gaps due to donor dependency, and concerns over the command and control of troops in the field.
• The ACIRC's potential roles in conflict management include acting as a bridging tool before handing over to the UN, bolstering surge capacities for existing AU or UN missions, or providing long-term support for stand-alone combat operations where the UN is unwilling to engage.
• To facilitate faster deployment, the document suggests 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 lacks civil-military capabilities, leading to concerns that it may struggle in operations lasting more than 120 days.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). policy-insights-22-f7e6240aaef06b76.pdf. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-22.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. policy-insights-22-f7e6240aaef06b76.pdf. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-22.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=policy-insights-22-f7e6240aaef06b76.pdf |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{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsndpolicyinsights22f7e6240aaef06b76pdf, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{policy-insights-22-f7e6240aaef06b76.pdf}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-22.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }