African leaders have decided to immediately establish a military rapid reaction force to deal with regional security emergencies
The move, at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, follows calls from several leaders for an African defence capacity to deal with conflicts and rebellions on the continent instead of relying on help from the United Nations and Western donors.
African Union chairman, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, announced the creation of the force to be called the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises.
The leaders decided the rapid response force would be formed from voluntary contributions of troops, equipment and funds by member states currently in a position to provide these.
Security challenges faced by the African Union in the past two years have included coups in Guinea-Bissau and Mali, offensives by Islamist militant groups in Mali and Nigeria, and conflict involving rebels in eastern Congo and Central African Republic.