Uganda has pledged its search-and-air-rescue capabilities to the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), expanding a growing pool of specialised assets being assembled by countries in the region to respond to conflicts, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters.
The commitment was announced during talks in Kampala between Uganda’s Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, and an EASF delegation led by its Director, Rwanda’s Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga.
Kiwanuka said Uganda’s commitment goes beyond the specific capabilities formally registered with the regional mechanism, arguing that the country’s security is closely tied to stability across its borders.
“Everything that is available to the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces is available to the people of Eastern Africa in as far as it has anything to do with maintaining peace and security in our region,” Kiwanuka said.
He added that Uganda could not consider itself secure while neighbouring countries remained unstable. “Our existence as Uganda is anchored on the safety and security of our neighbours. We cannot be an island of peace.”
Brig Gen Rwivanga, a senior Rwanda Defence Force officer and former RDF spokesperson, took over as Director of the Eastern Africa Standby Force in May 2026, succeeding Kenya’s Brig Gen (Rtd) Paul Kahuria Njema.
Rwivanga said EASF is also strengthening cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster response, where regional countries can pool specialised capabilities to respond rapidly to emergencies.
“We realised that this is an area where we do not have political contradictions, because in disasters everybody is vulnerable,” Rwivanga said. “As a region it is important for us to have the capacity to respond to natural disasters which we believe we are all prone to.”
Several countries have already pledged specialised assets. Ethiopia has committed strategic airlift capability through a C-130 transport aircraft, Kenya has pledged aerial reconnaissance, Rwanda has offered medical evacuation assets, while Uganda is now adding search-and-rescue capabilities.
Together, the assets could provide EASF with an integrated response mechanism during major emergencies. Reconnaissance aircraft could assess affected areas, strategic airlift could transport personnel and equipment, medical evacuation teams could move casualties, while search-and-rescue units could assist people trapped or stranded during disasters.
Rwivanga said Uganda’s contribution strengthens the regional architecture, particularly because its search-and-rescue capabilities have already been tested operationally.
Ugandan officials stressed that the pledge should not be interpreted as the limit of what Kampala could contribute if a wider regional security crisis emerged.
“What you saw when you did your visit is available to you, but a lot more is available to peace and security in the region if it becomes necessary,” Kiwanuka said.
Military officials also argued that the increasingly complex security environment makes cooperation among Eastern African states essential.
“Strategic defence cannot be achieved by one hand. When I talk of one hand, I mean one country,” one official said. “Our strength is actually derived from our unity.”
The EASF is part of the African Union’s wider African Standby Force architecture, bringing together military, police and civilian capabilities from Eastern African countries for peace support, humanitarian assistance and crisis-response operations.
