The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) and the establishment of the African Standby Force (ASF)

At the 21st Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) held in May 2013, African heads of state and government announced that they were establishing a force called the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) to act as a rapid-deployment force to deal with the numerous conflicts that continue to break out on the continent. The ACIRC is intended to bridge the gap pending the coming into operation of the African Standby Force (ASF) as envisaged in the Protocol on the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (2002). The ACIRC will be tasked with carrying out operations of limited duration or objectives, or to contribute to the creation of conducive conditions for the deployment of AU and/or United Nations (UN) peace operations of wider scope.