Change of Guard at EASF

EASF welcomed a new Director, Dr Abdillahi Omar Bouh from the Republic of Djibouti on 10th April 2017. Dr Bouh replaces Amb Issimail Chanfi from the Union of Comoros, who has headed EASF for the last three years starting March 2014.

Dr Bouh takes over at a time when EASF is the African Union's appointed continental Standby Force, running from January to June 2017. EASF is the first force among the five Standby Forces under the African Union to have attained Full Operational Capability (FOC), precisely in December 2014. This implies that the multidimensional Force may be called upon to intervene in any AU peace keeping mission on the continent.  The outgoing Director, Amb Issimail Chanfi, has seen EASF conduct several exercises to validate its preparedness for deployment in addition to putting in place various other frameworks necessary in participation in Peace Support Operations (PSOs).

The in-coming Director will be expected to continue developing the multidimensional Force and to enhance the capacity required for EASF to support ongoing peace initiatives in collaboration with other regional bodies.

The position of Director is held on rotational basis by different member states, namely Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

Photo Gallery: EASF Welcomes New Director