President Museveni, the current Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC), has pledged to rally regional Heads of State and Government to strengthen the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF).
Museveni made the commitment on Thursday at State House, Entebbe, during a meeting with Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga, Director of the EASF, who briefed him on the force's activities and sought his support in mobilising regional leaders.
The EASF is a regional peace and security mechanism established in 2004 under the African Union's broader African Standby Force architecture. It brings together military, police and civilian capabilities to provide the region with a coordinated and rapidly deployable response to peace and security challenges, including peace support operations, humanitarian emergencies and other crises.
Rwivanga asked Museveni to use his regional influence to encourage Djibouti, Comoros and Sudan to fully participate in the standby force as part of efforts to strengthen the region's collective security architecture.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
He also asked Museveni to lobby other regional Heads of State and Government to attend the EASF Summit, which has not been convened since 2014.
According to Rwivanga, the summit would provide an opportunity for regional leaders to renew their political commitment to the force, provide strategic direction and strengthen collective ownership at the highest level.
Museveni pledged to engage his fellow Heads of State and Government on the matter and support efforts to convene the summit.
The President also pledged to support efforts to strengthen the EASF's financial capacity, particularly in humanitarian assistance, rescue operations, rapid deployment and emergency response.
The specific financial commitments are expected to be discussed and agreed upon by Heads of State and Government once the summit is convened. The meeting would provide member states with an opportunity to determine the resources required to strengthen the force.
The engagement comes as the 36th Ordinary Policy Organs Meeting of the EASF is underway in Kampala from August 10 to 15, 2026.
The meeting has brought together representatives and senior officials from EASF member states to discuss strategic, operational and institutional matters aimed at strengthening the regional security mechanism.
Rwivanga also briefed 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 for rapid deployment in support of peace operations across the region," Rwivanga said.
He said 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 (URDC) headquarters in Jinja.
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.
Rwivanga further informed Museveni that the EASF leadership intends to engage Heads of State and Government at the highest political level following the summit to secure sustained political support for the force.
He said the engagement would also provide an opportunity to advance discussions on strengthening the force's membership, financing and operational capabilities.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Museveni is expected to have another significant regional platform in December 2026 when he chairs the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
The December engagement could provide an additional opportunity to advance discussions on regional peace and security, including strengthening mechanisms such as the EASF and mobilising wider political support for its mandate.
The EASF leadership believes renewed engagement by Heads of State and Government is critical to ensuring that the regional standby force is adequately resourced, politically supported and operationally ready to respond when crises arise.
Also in attendance 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.
