By Our Staff Reporter

KAMPALA,UGANDA — 14 August 2026
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to rally Heads of State and Government in Eastern Africa to strengthen the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) and enhance the region’s collective capacity to respond to security and humanitarian crises.

President Museveni, who is the current Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC), made the commitment on Friday, August 14, 2026, during a meeting with the Director of the EASF, Brigadier General Ronald Rwivanga, at State House, Entebbe.

Brig. Gen. Rwivanga briefed the President on the activities of the regional security mechanism and appealed for his support in mobilising political leaders to renew their commitment to the force.

One of the key issues raised during the meeting was the need to convene an EASF Summit, which has not been held since 2014.

According to Brig. Gen. Rwivanga, the summit would give regional leaders an opportunity to provide strategic direction, renew political commitment and strengthen collective ownership of the force.

He also asked President Museveni to encourage Djibouti, Comoros and Sudan to fully participate in the EASF as part of efforts to strengthen the region’s collective security architecture.

President Museveni pledged to engage his fellow Heads of State and Government on the matter and support efforts to convene the summit.

The President further pledged to support initiatives aimed at improving the EASF’s financial capacity, particularly in areas such as humanitarian assistance, rescue operations, rapid deployment and emergency response.

However, the specific financial commitments are expected to be determined by member states during the proposed summit.

The EASF is a regional peace and security mechanism established in 2004 under the African Union’s wider African Standby Force framework. It brings together military, police and civilian capabilities to support coordinated responses to peace and security challenges, including peace support operations and humanitarian emergencies.

The engagement comes as Kampala hosts the 36th Ordinary Policy Organs Meeting of the Eastern Africa Standby Force, running from August 10 to 15, 2026.

The meeting has brought together senior officials and representatives from EASF member states to discuss strategic, operational and institutional measures aimed at strengthening the regional mechanism.

Brig. Gen. Rwivanga also briefed President Museveni on Uganda’s contribution to the EASF, including a recently concluded three-day verification exercise assessing the country’s military, police and civilian capabilities pledged to the force.

The exercise assessed Uganda’s readiness, interoperability, personnel, equipment and capacity to rapidly deploy in support of peace operations across the region.

The verification activities were conducted at the Uganda Police Force, the International Peace Support Operations Training Centre (IPSO-T) in Singo, and the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability headquarters in Jinja.

Brig. Gen. Rwivanga said the exercise was conducted in accordance with Article 12(2)(f) of the Agreement Establishing the Eastern Africa Standby Force, which provides for the verification of capabilities pledged by member states.

The EASF leadership is now seeking renewed political engagement at the highest level to strengthen the force’s membership, financing and operational capabilities.

President Museveni is also expected to chair the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in December 2026, providing another regional platform through which discussions on peace and security could be advanced.

The EASF leadership says sustained political support, adequate financing and operational preparedness will be critical in ensuring that the regional standby force is capable of responding effectively when security or humanitarian crises arise.

Also present at the meeting were Rosette Byengoma, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs; Daher Meraneti, Head of the Peace Operations Department at EASF; and Monalisa Kakono, Head of the Civilian Component at EASF.