From 26 to 27 November 2024, NATO's Cooperative Security Division of the International Military Staff (IMS) met with a delegation from the African Union Commission (AUC) in Brussels for the ninth iteration of NATO and African Union (AU) Military-to-Military Staff Talks.
Discussions centred on:
- security challenges in AU Peace Support Operations;
- NATO support to AU military standardization and lessons learned processes;
- capacity building, including education and training;
- disaster preparedness capacity in AUC;
- NATO-AU participation in each other's exercises;
- and NATO support for the AUC development of policies.
The Director of NATO's Cooperative Security Division of the IMS, Major General Dacian Tiberiu Șerban, officially opened the meeting and welcomed the Head of the African Union's Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department, Peace Support Operations Division, Brigadier General Cheick Fanta Mady Dembele, and his staff to the Staff Talks. He emphasised that "in an increasingly complex global security landscape, marked by ongoing conflicts and crises, international cooperation is more crucial than ever". Major General Serban also highlighted that "NATO-AU cooperation offers a unique opportunity to address these challenges through shared expertise and commitment to peace, security, and mutual prosperity". The NATO Summit in Washington last July reaffirmed the importance of this partnership and endorsed an Action Plan to strengthen NATO engagement in the Southern Neighbourhood.
Brigadier General Dembele thanked NATO for the warm welcome and stressed the importance of recognising that no single crisis is confined to a single country. The General underlined that the current paradigm "African solutions to African problems" should be changed as they are "African solutions to peace and security challenges in Africa".
The military talks began by discussing the progress achieved since the previous iteration in Addis Ababa at the AUC Headquarters in June 24. During this meeting, a strategic overview on AU Peace Support Operations and prospects for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 was provided by the AUC representatives. "NATO can share its expertise with the AUC to support operational and strategic levels planning of operations and the development of related policies to ensure the efficient use of resources and their effectiveness" said Major General Serban in his comments.
With regard to the ongoing Strategic Lift (STRATLIFT) support that NATO provides to the AU mission in Somalia, Major General Serban ensured that such support will likely continue even after the transition from the current mission (African Union Transition Mission to Somalia - ATMIS) to the new one (African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission to Somalia - AUSSOM), This is subject to a AUC dedicated request. "STRATLIFT support is a crucial component of the NATO-AU Partnership," Major General Șerban added.
NATO IMS representatives delivered detailed presentations on NATO Lessons Learned and the NATO standardisation processes and International Staff Operation Division Representatives presented on the NATO Defence and Related Security Capacity Building Initiatives for the United Nations and Mauritania, illustrating mutual benefits and opportunities. All topics which captured the interest of the AUC delegation.
The ensuing discussion focussed on the role and activities of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre and its support to NATO partners in building their capacity to deal and manage natural and man-made disasters. NATO and AUC representatives also discussed potential NATO support in providing capacity building through the NATO education and training network, including the NATO School Oberammergau and the Partnership Training and Education Centres. Mutual participation in NATO and AU exercises was also discussed as well as the possible provision of NATO Subject Matter Experts for the development of AU policies and concepts in different areas such as Counter Improvised Explosive Devices, Climate Change and Security, Counter Terrorism, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations, Human Security and others. Finally, a representative from the NATO Strategic Direction-South Hub underscored the importance of the Hub and how it can potentially support the AUC.
From the meeting, a list of concrete actions and decisions was drawn up. Closing the Staff Talks, Major General Șerban and Brigadier General Dembele jointly expressed their mutual gratitude for the insightful briefings and presentations at the Staff Talks. Major General Șerban committed to deepening NATO's military partnership with the AUC. "By working together in a spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding, we can make a tangible difference in advancing peace, security, and stability," he said. General Dembele expressed a similar sentiment, stating "this is an important milestone for the decisive enhancement of our cooperation".
NATO's relationship with the African Union began in 2005 and is based on parity, mutual respect and reciprocity. NATO remains committed to expanding its relationship with the African Union as part of NATO's efforts to work more closely with Partners in tackling security challenges emanating from NATO's Southern Neighbourhood.
The next military staff talks will be held in October 2025 at the AUC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
