The handover ceremony for the leadership of the peacekeeping force took place in Kigali, concluding the 33rd EASF Policy Organs Meeting, which had been held in Rwanda over the past week.
Rwanda was represented at the ceremony by Minister of Defence Juvenal Marizamunda and Chief of Defence Staff General Mubarakh Muganga, who led the EASF throughout 2024.
Somalia will assume the EADF responsibilities in 2025 and hold the position for the entire year.
The country assuming the leadership of the force heads three of the four key structures of the EASF: the General Assembly (composed of the Presidents and Prime Ministers of member states), the Defence Ministers' meeting, and the committee of military commanders of member states.
The fourth structure, the EASF Secretariat, is led by an executive director and staff, independent of the country holding the leadership and based on qualifications.
This means that Somalia's President, Defence Minister, and Chief of Defence Staff will lead their counterparts from EASF member states throughout the year.
Minister Marizamunda highlighted that the force, operational for 20 years, has become increasingly prepared to provide rapid responses to crises within member states.
"We have learned how to prevent security threats before they escalate. We have trained a force of soldiers, police officers, and civilians. We have also established advisory committees that help us develop strategies for conflict prevention," he said.
Somalia's Minister of Defence, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, after assuming EASF leadership for 2025, expressed gratitude to Rwanda and outlined Somalia's priorities.
"As you know, insecurity issues in East Africa are a significant challenge. We are bringing new ideas to address these issues to ensure peace and progress in our region," he said.
Minister Nur emphasized that Somalia, having endured over 30 years of conflict and terrorism, deeply understands the urgent need for peace and stability in the region.
"We understand it more than anyone else. We will seek new solutions to these problems because our region needs peace and security," he stated.
Currently, the EASF has over 8,000 troops on standby to assist member states in times of need.
The peacekeeping force comprises ten East African countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, and Seychelles.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/rwanda-hands-over-easf-leadership-to-somalia
