EASF Conducts Open Day in Rwanda

The Eastern Africa Standby Force held its EASF Open Day on 28th July 2018 in Kimironko Sector, Gasabo District in Rwanda. The main purpose of EASF Open Days is to boost up the visibility of EASF as well as take up the regional cooperation in line with EASF’s mission and vision.

The Open Day also presents the Standby Force with an opportunity to actively interact with its regional audiences. The day allows EASF not only to show case its progress in supporting peace and security functions in the region, but also to reaffirm its position as a credible contributor to peace matters.

Rt. Hon. Dr. Eduard Ngirente, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda expressed his appreciation to EASF for organizing and conducting the event through active participation in community work in Kigali. Such events strengthen the common spirit and motivate the society to work towards peace, security and stability. They also provide an opportunity to add visibility of the organization, he added.

The EASF Director, Dr. Abdillahi Omar Bouh expressed the commitment of the organization to continue enhancing security and stability in the region. He noted that the regional peace keeper was formed with the vision to contribute to regional and continental peace. This is achieved through regional conflict prevention, management and resolution capability able to respond effectively to crisis within Eastern Africa Region and beyond.

The Chairperson of the Friends of EASF, Col. Joern Rasmussen focused on the enthusiasm of many young people who are genuinely interested in peace and security matters. The Eastern Africa region has a strong resource base of talented young people who are interested in the welfare of the society and are willing to contribute to its further development, he said.

Col. Rasmussen told the audience that the important message to the people of Eastern Africa is that EASF works for peace for its people. In event of feasible threats to peace and security, the organization stands ready to react, not only to a possible armed conflicts, but also towards other challenges such as protective measures, disaster management among others.

Around 1500 participants attended the EASF Open day. These included residents of the village, government officials, university students, security forces and representatives of various organizations. The EASF Open Day in Rwanda is the ninth in number of this initiative since the first one took place in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2015.