Why is Egypt seeking African military force?
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has proposed during the African Union Summit the formation of a joint African military force to confront terrorism, as part of Cairo’s efforts to boost its presence on the African continent.
During the African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia Feb. 9, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi put forward a proposal to hold an African summit aimed at establishing a joint African military force to combat terrorism. “The most important challenges facing Africa the past year — during which Egypt chaired the AU — were the ongoing conflicts and the increasing dangers of terrorism and extremism, especially in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, as well as the challenge of achieving stability,” Sisi said.
In February 2019, Egypt assumed the AU presidency for a year and then handed it over to South Africa this month.
In a comment on Cairo's proposal to establish an African force to combat terrorism, Egypt's ambassador to Ethiopia and its permanent representative to the AU, Osama Abdel Khalek, noted, “African leaders attentively listened to the proposal and the African continent faces many challenges as the Libyan crisis affects the Sahel states. Africa possesses the capabilities to form a military force, but coordination needs to be done in order to implement the proposal.”
He said in a TV interview Feb. 9, “A proposal to hold an African summit to discuss the establishment of an African military force was referred to the African Peace and Security Council and the military and defense committees to discuss the matter from all sides.”
