EASF Officials in Discussions with US and AU's PSOD

After the successful completion of Field Training Exercise (FTX) 2017's Final Planning Conference, an EASF team, led by the Director Dr Abdillahi Omar Bouh held crucial discussions with United States Mission to African Union Officials on 29th September 2017 on strategic airlift during the upcoming exercise.

FTX 2017 is a multidimensional and multinational undertaking which will require transport of personnel from all ten EASF Member States to the exercise area near Port Sudan in the Republic of the Sudan. At the same time, the regional peacekeeper will transport equipment critical to the performance of the exercise mainly from its Logistics' Base in Addis Ababa and Secretariat in Karen, Nairobi. It is therefore necessary for EASF to ensure that proper plans are laid down at the right time so that delays which could negatively affect the exercise are avoided.

Later in the day, the EASF team met with the African Union's Head of Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) Mr. Sivuyile Bam and held discussions on various issues. These included, EASF's FTX preparations, necessity for AU/Regional Standby Forces synergy in capacity development, collaboration among Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs) under AU as well as possibilities for deployment of EASF to contribute to regional peace and security.