The Republic of Uganda, represented by the Department of Disaster Preparedness within the Office of the Prime Minister, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), focusing on Early Warning and Early Response initiatives and programs.
The signing ceremony was held at Hotel Africana, concluding a joint meeting between EASF and Early Warning Agencies in Uganda.
Brig Gen Mwanje Ssekiranda, Chief of Staff-Reserve Force, standing in for the Chief Joint Staff, highlighted the critical role of early intervention in conflict prevention and resolution. “Early intervention is crucial in reducing the escalation and spread of conflict, ultimately saving lives and preventing damage to property and infrastructure,” he stated.
He noted that early warning is an essential tool for conflict prevention, integrated within EASF and aligned with United Nations and African Union policies, which have garnered full support from member states. “To enhance our early warning mechanism with various initiatives and to continuously align with international standards. This will enable us to provide precise, tailored solutions to ensure peace and security and manage different conflict scenarios in our region,” Brig Gen Mwanje added.
Earlier, Brig Gen Domitien Kabisa, Head of Peace Support Operations at the EASF Secretariat, remarked that the meeting’s goals had been met. “The EASF participants have enriched our understanding with their extensive experiences. Uganda has exceeded our expectations, and this commitment has been crucial to the program’s success,” he noted.
The MOU, effective immediately, outlines several key objectives aimed at enhancing cooperation between the parties in Early Warning and Early Response, crisis prevention, management, resolution, and laying the foundation for sustainable peace and socio-economic development in Uganda and the Eastern Africa Region. These objectives include:
- Ensuring effective cooperation and partnership for timely crisis response
- Exchanging information and data on conflict prevention and crises
- Building and enhancing capacities in Early Warning and Early Response
- Conducting joint research and assessments in Early Warning
- Sharing experiences and lessons learned in Early Warning and Early Response
Additionally, the document addresses establishing operational principles and guidelines, identifying areas of synergy and potential collaboration, sharing best practices and principles, exploring joint capacity-building initiatives, establishing protocols for information and intelligence exchange, defining roles and responsibilities, identifying communication focal points, and setting up dispute resolution mechanisms and provisions for amendments.
Attendees included Brig Gen Peter Gaetano Omola, Commander Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Jinja, Brig Gen Domitien Kabisa, Head of Peace Support Operations of EASF Secretariat Nairobi, Mr. Leodinous Mwebembezi, Assistant Commissioner Ministry of Water and Environment, Lt Col Lillian Shigoli (KDF), EASF Legal Advisor, Assistant Commissioner of Police Florence Kirabira, Coordinator Small Arms and Light Weapons/Conflict Early Warning & Response Mechanisms – Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Enyimu William, Principal Human Resource Officer Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, among others.
