NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NATO assistance to the African Union

At the request of the African Union (AU), NATO is providing assistance to the AU Mission in Somalia and capacity-building support to its long-term peacekeeping capabilities, in particular the African Standby Force. NATO also provided support to the AU Mission in Sudan, at the request of the AU, from mid-2005 to end 2007.

• Providing support for missions and capacity-building

  NATO’s support to the AU started in 2005 with assistance to the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS). This was the Alliance’s first mission on the African continent and as such represents a landmark decision by the North Atlantic Council. Since then, NATO has committed to support other AU missions and objectives.

  Assisting the AU in Somalia

  NATO has accepted to assist the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM) by providing strategic airlift and sealift support to AU member states willing to deploy in Somalia under AMISOM. NATO has, for instance, put into practice airlift support from Burundi to Mogadishu and has escorted an AU ship that carried Burundi military equipment for one of the battalions that it had airlifted into Mogadishu.

  NATO has also been providing subject matter experts for the PSOD that supports AMISOM. These experts offer expertise in areas such as maritime planning, strategic planning, financial planning and monitoring, air movement coordination, logistics, communication and information systems, military manpower management and contingency planning.

  In addition to this logistical and planning support, NATO is also a member of the International Contact Group on Somalia. It was first invited to attend these meetings in June 2009 and has participated in subsequent meetings.

  Contributing to the establishment of an African Standby Force

  NATO has been providing expert and training support to the African Standby Force (ASF) at the AU’s request. Not only does it offer capacity-building support through courses and training events, but it also organizes different forms of support for the operationalization of the ASF all at AU’s request.

  The ASF, which is intended to be deployed in Africa in times of crisis, is part of the AU’s efforts to develop long-term peacekeeping capabilities. ASF represents the AU’s vision for a continental, on-call, security apparatus with some similarities to the NATO Response Force. NATO is, inter alia, assisting the AU with the evaluation and assessment processes linked to the operational readiness of the ASF brigages. This continental force is expected to reach full operational capability by 2015 and could be seen as an African contribution to wider international efforts to preserve peace and security.

  Assisting the AU in Darfur, Sudan

  The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) aimed to end violence and improve the humanitarian situation in a region that has been suffering from conflict since 2003.

  From June 2005 to 31 December 2007, NATO helped the AU expand its peacekeeping mission in Darfur by providing airlift for the transport of additional peacekeepers into the region and by training AU personnel. NATO support did not imply the provision of combat troops.

  Alliance support ended on 31 December 2007 when AMIS was transferred to the United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The Alliance has expressed its readiness to consider providing support to the new UN-AU hybrid peacekeeping force made up of peacekeepers and civilian police officers, if requested.

• The evolution of NATO’s support to the AU

  In June 2005 and at the request of the African Union, NATO began assisting the AU in its mission in the Sudanese province of Darfur. NATO assistance was terminated on 31 December 2007 when AMIS was completed. NATO has offered its support to the UN-AU hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID), which succeeded AMIS on 1 January 2008.

  In March 2007, during a visit to NATO Headquarters, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Said Djinnit, evoked expansion of NATO-AU cooperation into new areas, including possible long-term capacity-building support by the Alliance to the AU. This was to come a little later in the year. Before that, in June 2007, NATO agreed in principle to support the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) by providing strategic airlift. This support has been extended several times and has been broadened into different areas since then. 

  On 5 September 2007, the North Atlantic Council – NATO’s top political decision making body - agreed to provide assistance to the African Union with a study on the assessment of the operational readiness of the African Standby Force (ASF) brigades. With this commitment, NATO started its capacity-building support to the AU and, more specifically, the ASF, which is part of the AU’s efforts to develop long-term peacekeeping capabilities.

• The bodies involved in decision-making and implementation

  Based on advice from NATO’s military authorities, the North Atlantic Council is the body that agrees to provide support to the AU. 

  The Norwegian Embassy in Addis Ababa provides diplomatic resources in support of NATO’s activities in Africa. The AU requests are communicated via “Note Verbale” from the AU to the Norwegian Embassy, then via the Joint Force Command (JFC) Lisbon and SHAPE to NATO HQ to consider the requests and take action, as necessary. AU requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

  The NATO Senior Military Liaison Officer (SMLO) is the primary point of contact for the Alliance’s activities with the AU. An SMLO is deployed on a permanent six-month rotational basis in Addis Ababa and is supported by a deputy and an administrative assistant. More specifically, with regard to NATO’s support to the AU mission in Somalia, JFC Lisbon – under the overall command of Allied Command Operations - was responsible for the SMLO team operating out of the Ethiopian capital. 

  This team not only conducts NATO’s day-to-day activities, but also serves as the NATO military point of contact with partner countries and regional organisations. It served the same function for the representatives of troop-contributing countries for the AMISON operation, the representatives of the donor nations pledging support to the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and various embassies.