Uganda and Eastern Africa Standby Force Sign Landmark MOU to Enhance Regional Peace and Security

The Department of Disaster Preparedness in the Office of the Prime Minister Uganda has formalized a partnership with the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) focused on early warning and early response initiatives.

The signing, which took place at Hotel Africa, concluded a significant meeting between EASF and Uganda’s early warning agencies.

Delivering the keynote speech at the event, Brig Gen Mwanje Ssekiranda the Chief of Staff-Reserve Force, representing the Chief Joint Staff, emphasized the importance of early intervention in conflict prevention and resolution. “Having to intervene early is key in preventing the escalation and spread of conflict, ultimately saving lives and preventing damage to property and infrastructure,” he said.

Early warning systems, as developed by EASF, are aligned with global standards set by the United Nations and African Union, and have the full backing of member states he added 

Brigadier General Kabisa the Head of Peace support operations at the EASF secretariat said that the EASF participants have fertilised our brains from the rich experiences they have each shared with us. “Uganda has given us way more than what we expected and this commitment has been instrumental to the success of the program,”

The MOU represents a significant step in the longstanding partnership between Uganda and EASF, formalizing their cooperation in detecting and responding to emerging security threats in the region.

By joining forces, Uganda and EASF aim to support each other’s strengths to detect and respond to potential security threats more effectively, promoting a safer and more stable region.

The agreement outlines several key objectives that are designed to strengthen the cooperation between the Early Warning and Early Response. These include the following 

1 Enancing timely crisis response

2 Sharing conflict prevention data

3 Strengthening capacities

4 Conducting joint research

5 Exchanging lessons learned in managing crises.

6 Building and strengthening capacities in Early Warning and Early Response

In addition, the agreement also outlines the establishment of principles, roles, communication protocols, and dispute resolution mechanisms to facilitate effective collaboration between the parties.

The MOU signing ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials including Brigadier General Peter Gaetano Omola, Commander of Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability, Leodinous Mwebembezi from the Ministry of Water and Environment, and Lt Col Lillian Shigoli from the Kenya Defence Forces.