Publication

In 2003, African Chiefs of Defense Staff began work on setting up the African Standby Force (ASF), a key component of the African Union’s (AU) "African Peace and Security Architecture" (APSA). Much progress has been made at the conceptual level during Phase I of the work plan (2005-2006). As Phase II begins, the experience of the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) offers useful lessons that should be built into ASF development. This report aims to provide a detailed presentation and analysis of the weaknesses of the AU and AMIS, and to make a series of recommendations intended to assist the development of the ASF.