EASF and SADC Conclude a Two Day Information Sharing Session

Officials from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Standby Force, which is one of the five Standby Forces of the African Standby Force (ASF), shared a two day meeting with EASF leadership and Planning Elements' officials at the Secretariat's headquarters in Karen, Nairobi. 

The meeting which took place from 2nd to 3rd February 2017, aimed at sharing the wide spectrum of experiences the two Standby Forces have made so far and discuss ways of addressing operational gaps through information sharing.    

In his opening remarks, the Director of EASF, Amb. Issimail Chanfi, welcomed the delegation to the Secretariat and expressed his confidence that the outcomes of the meeting would be of valuable importance to matters of peace and security to the African continent in general. He underlined the need for consistent cooperation among the five Standby Forces on the continent in efforts to resolve conflicts in their respective backgrounds. The Director informed the meeting that EASF is planning to further strengthen its ties with its counterparts on the continent.

The SADC's Chief of Staff thanked the Director and the entire EASF fraternity for warmly welcoming the delegation to the Secretariat. He reiterated that the development of EASF since its inception provides a learning curve for other Standby Forces on the continent. The Chief of Staff was confident that the two Standby Forces would continue strengthening their working relationships and share experiences also in the future.

The delegation comprised the SADC Standby Force Planing Element's officials; the Chief of Staff, Brig. Michael M. Mukokomani, the Head of Police Component ACP Godfrey L. Phonchi and the Head of Civilian Component Mr. Ernest Kantchentche.