President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to mobilize East African Community (EAC) and regional heads of state to strengthen the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) and revive its dormant summit.
The President made the commitment on August 13, 2026, during a consultative meeting with EASF Director Brigadier General Ronald Rwivanga at State House, Entebbe.
Brig Gen Rwivanga requested President Museveni, the current EAC Chairperson, to use his diplomatic leverage to persuade Djibouti, Comoros, and Sudan to participate fully in the regional security mechanism.
The Director also urged President Museveni to lobby member states to convene an extraordinary EASF Summit of Heads of State and Government, which has remained stalled since 2014.
Brig Gen Rwivanga noted that the summit would provide a platform for regional leaders to renew political commitment, issue strategic directives, and secure sustainable financing for crisis response.
President Museveni confirmed that he will engage fellow leaders to fast-track the summit and support efforts to expand the force’s financial capacity for humanitarian assistance and rapid deployment.
The high-level engagement took place alongside the 36th Ordinary Policy Organs Meeting of the EASF, which convened defense chiefs and senior officials in Kampala.
Brig Gen Rwivanga briefed the President on Uganda’s pledged contributions following a three-day verification exercise conducted at the Uganda Police Force, the International Peace Support Operations Training Centre in Singo, and the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability headquarters in Jinja.
"The exercise assessed Uganda’s readiness, interoperability, personnel, equipment and capacity for rapid deployment in support of peace operations across the region," Brig Gen Rwivanga said.
President Museveni is also scheduled to leverage another regional platform in December 2026 when he assumes the chairmanship of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
The meeting was attended by Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Permanent Secretary Ms. Rosette Byengoma, EASF Head of Peace Operations Department Mr. Daher Meraneti, and EASF Head of Civilian Component Ms. Monalisa Kakono.
