The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union
(AU), Jean Ping, has, today (6 December), appointed General Sékouba Konaté, President of the Transition
and Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Guinea, as the High Representative of
the African Union for the Operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF) and,
concurrently, responsible for strategic planning and management of AU Peace Support
Operations.
The ASF is one of the main pillars of the continental peace and security architecture, as
provided for by the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council
(PSC) of the AU, and is mandated to undertake peace support operations, as well as
intervention missions, including in cases of genocide, war crimes or crimes against
humanity, in conformity with the Constitutive Act of the AU.
Born in June 1964, in Conakry, General Sékouba Konaté had his officer training at the
Meknes Royal Academy, in Morocco, and attended courses at the Montpellier Infantry
School and the Pau Airborne Troops School, in France, as well as the War College in China.
He served in the ECOWAS peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone. He also assumed
important responsibilities in the Guinean army, notably commanding the Autonomous
Airborne Troops. After the army took power in December 2008, following the death of the
President of the Republic, General Lansana Conté, and the establishment of the National
Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD), he was appointed 2nd Vice‐President of
the CNDD and Minister of Defense. Subsequently, and within the framework of the
Ouagadougou Agreement signed to overcome the impasse in the transition process, he
became the President of the Transition. In this position, he conducted, in a transparent and
patriotic manner, the transitional period which culminated in the presidential election of
June and November 2010 and the return to constitutional order.
The appointment of General Sékouba Konaté comes at a crucial stage in the
operationalization process of the ASF. As part of Roadmaps I and II, which covered the
periods 2005‐2008 and 2008‐2010, respectively, significant progress has been recorded in
the operationalization of the ASF, as evidenced by the establishment of the regional
brigades and the adoption of the policy documents of the Force, including those relating to
doctrine, logistics and standard operating procedures. It is also worth mentioning the work
done so far regarding the rapid deployment capability, the continental and regional logistics
depots, the strategic deployment capacity, the civilian component and training.
It is significant to note that the 7th meeting of the Chiefs of Staff and Heads of Security and
Safety Services of the AU Member States opened today, 6 December, in Addis Ababa, and
will be followed by the 4th meeting of African Ministers of Defense, Security and Safety.
General Sékouba Konaté will undertake consultations with AU Member States at the highest
level, and will focus his efforts on mobilizing Member States and regions, with a view to
consolidating the progress made so far and facilitating the implementation of ASF Roadmap
III, which will cover the period 2011‐2015. In so doing, he will build on lessons learned from
the Exercise AMANI‐Africa, which took place in Addis Ababa in October 2010.
He will also endeavor to ensure better coordination between the various stakeholders, as well as
mobilize the political, financial and logistical support required to accelerate the effective
operationalization of the ASF, which will not only provide the African Union with credible
means of action on peace and security, but will also constitute an important benchmark and
accelerator for continental integration.
Furthermore, General Sékouba Konaté will put his experience to use to enhance the
capacity of the AU in terms of strategic planning and management of peace support
operations deployed by the African Union. In this regard, he will pay particular attention to
the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) at a time when steps are underway to increase
AMISOM strength, with multifaceted support from the United Nations and other
multilateral and bilateral partners.
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