Africa: New Liability for General Konaté

By on December 9, 2010

The president of the A.U, Jean Ping, has appointed General Konaté and asked him to take in charge the African Standby Force (ASF).

He is also appointed responsible for planning and managing the Peacekeeping Operations “of the continental organization. According to the African Union, this transition President and defence minister, in power since last January in Guinea, leaded seamlessly and patriotically the transition to the presidential election in June and November 2010, and assured the return of the constitutional order to Guinea. In January, he pledged to lead his country in crisis to free elections and to restore civilian rule after 25 years of military and civilian autocratic rule. General Konaté is still formally the President of the transition until the swearing in of Mr. Condé, whose date is still unknown. The General had previously declared his readiness to be the defence minister of the future elected president, if asked so. His appointment by the A.U comes at a “crucial moment” in the implementation of the African Standby Force (ASF), responsible for maintaining peace and security on the African continent, and should eventually enable Africa to solve its own conflicts without resorting to an outside power. The ASF shall consist of five regional brigades. General Konate will use his experience to strengthen the capacities of the A.U in terms of strategic planning and particularly those of the AMISOM, the force currently deployed in Somalia.

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