Complements or Competitors? The African Standby Force, the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises, and the Future of Rapid Reaction Forces in Africa

Abstract

In May 2013 the African Union proposed the creation of an institutional framework for a new continental rapid-response force called the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises. While the creation of the rapid-response force has offered hope as an antidote to the recent continental inaction in the face of insurgencies in places like Mali in 2013, it has undergone critical scrutiny because it seemingly duplicates?and thus arguably draws resources away from?a similar mechanism, the African Standby Force, which has been in development by the African Union and regional communities since 2003. A contemporary debate is thus emerging: Certain observers favor the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises? new, ad-hoc, slim, and voluntary approach to collective security, while others argue that the African Standby Force?s preexisting?though underdeveloped?regionally based, comprehensive, and institutionalized framework should receive top priority. This article offers...