PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE AFRICAN STANDBY FORCE ARCHITECTURE TOWARDS A SUPRANATIONAL EFFECTIVE PEACEBUILDING SYSTEM FOR AFRICAN STATES

Protracted conflict and terrorism threaten African development, peace, and security. The current state security architecture is insufficient to address growing insecurity, prompting calls for a supranational defence force. The African Union’s Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) was created to prevent conflicts, support peacekeeping, and respond to grave human rights violations under the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). Central to this framework is the African Standby Force (ASF), envisioned in 2004 as a rapid response mechanism drawing military, police, and civilian components from Africa’s five regions. Despite plans for full operational readiness by 2015, the ASF remained largely non-functional by 2021, even as violent conflicts intensified across the continent. This study examines the institutional and operational challenges hindering ASF effectiveness. Through a desktop review of APSA policies, intervention experiences, and expert assessments—using case studies from The Gambia, Mali, the Sahel, Sudan, and the Lake Chad Basin—the paper evaluates the contributions of APSA’s key pillars, including the PSC, ASF, Panel of the Wise, the Continental Early Warning System, and the “Silencing the Guns” initiative. The findings show that while APSA provides a sound framework for coordinated security responses, the ASF continues to lag in readiness, funding, and deployment capacity. The study recommends strengthening ASF’s institutional capabilities, make it more inclusive, and create adequate resources to enhance Africa’s autonomous crisis response, reduce reliance on external actors, and improve the AU’s overall effectiveness in managing emerging security threats.