By Stella Odueme
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. General Birame Diop, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs) on the African Standby Force (ASF).
Diop signed the agreement on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission at the Fifth Policy Session of the Inter-Regional Knowledge Exchange on Early Warning and Conflict Prevention (I-RECKE), held in El Alamein, Egypt, on October 3, 2026.
The session was held on the margins of the 8th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, a statement said on Sunday.
The MoU provides a framework for defining the respective roles and responsibilities of the AU, RECs and RMs in the preparation, employment, deployment and post-deployment of the African Standby Force.
Under the agreement, regional standby forces are to be mandated by the African Union to conduct peace support operations and respond to complex emergency situations across Africa.
The MoU was also signed by representatives of the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the North African Regional Capacity (NARC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The agreement is expected to strengthen coordination between the continental and regional organisations and provide a clearer framework for the mobilisation and deployment of standby forces in support of peace and security across the continent.