"Burundi and Gambia: Regional Security and Rapid Deployment Capability. The Utility of the African Standby Force "

Abstract

The paper evaluates the Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC) of the African Standby Force (ASF) in post – Road Map III after 2015, viz-a-viz its’ mandate as the mechanism for regional Peace Support Operations (PSOs). The ASF failed to respond timeously to Malian and Central African Republic (CAR) con licts in 2013 and this led to the formation of African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) as an interim RDC mechanism till 2015. The study is grounded on the theory of Collective Security. It adopts Case Study Research Design. Data are generated from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data are generated from Open-end interview, using purpose sampling method and secondary data involve the review of extant literature. Data are presented qualitatively on tables and analysed , using Content Analysis techniques. The study discusses the uniformity and differences in the generation of the ASF’s RDC in the management of Burundian and Gambian con licts of 2015 and 2017 respectively. It reveals the factors which led to these differences in outcome, speci ically the role of ‘democratic density’ and ‘competitive democratic security community’ and their impacts on con lict resolution in Africa. The study concludes that the RDC of the ASF is needed for robust regional security in Africa and recommends pragmatic and sustainable funding of the mechanism, as well as the creation of ‘security communities’ through shared democratic values across the continent.