An African Standby Force (ASF) with the mandate to promptly respond to conflicts in the sub-region will be operational by 2015. The 30,000 African Standby Force (ASF) would be composed of the military, police and civilians. Sivuyile Bam, Head of Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) of the AU Commission, who told Times on the sidelines of the ASF force 5th Annual Training Implementation Workshop in Accra Tuesday, said that each of the regional blocks would provide 6,000 personnel. The two-day workshop being attended by senior military officers as well as officials of AU from about 40 African countries is the last of preparatory workshop towards the establishment of the A SF. Mr Barn said the ASF had become necessary because of the numerous conflicts in the sub-region. He said the ASF would embark on peace keeping operations in the sub-region and execute any other assignments that would be determined by the Peace Support Division of the AU Commission. The Head of the PSOD dismissed the perception that the AU was not on top of security in view of the foreign interventions in conflict prone regions, saying often it used mediation, which is not broadcast or publicised. Touching on the workshop, Mr Bam said the objective of the workshop was to review the progress of the implementation of the ASF training plan for 2011 and also finalize the third ASF roadmap from 2011 to 2015. He entreated African governments to respect their respective regional bodies’ protocols on election as well as that of the AU to curtail post-election conflicts and promote peace on the continent. In addition, the Head of PSOD said the workshop would consider an African Peace Facility funding to the peace keeping training centers in the sub-region. Mr Bam further said the workshop would also tackle the issue of coordination and harmonisation of ASF training courses and policies. The Commandant of the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Air Vice Marshall (AVM) Christian E. K Dovlo, in a statement read on his behalf said the workshop was in line with the centre’s vision of building the capacities of peace actors and institutions to promote peace in the sub-region. He said building an effective, efficient and sustainable management and support arrangement was the contribution of KAIPTC to building peace in Africa. AVM Dovlo commended the AU for its role in promoting peace in the sub-region, saying the AU had earned a global recognition as a vehicle for establishing peace and security in Africa. The Commandant said the ASF would help address the peace and security challenges facing the African continent.