There was at least one Ethiopian-related award in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours list this year. Lieutenant Colonel Guy Levene received an OBE (in other words he was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his work here in Addis Ababa over the past two years.
Guy was the first international advisor to the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) Logistic Headquarters. He worked tirelessly to improve the infrastructure, training and effectiveness of the Headquarters, which is a key element of the African Standby Force (ASF) concept.
During this time he established excellent relationships with senior military officers in Ethiopia and in the countries which contribute to the EASF. His logistical advice and expertise was in great demand throughout the region and he travelled frequently to assist others. Guy retired from the Army earlier this year and will remain in Ethiopia, where he is building a hotel in the Bale mountains.
The ASF falls under the African Union and was established in 2004. This was to enable the AU Peace and Security Council to deploy Peace Support Operations or Missions where regional situations require this. Currently the EASF comprises personnel from 10 active AU Member States – Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.
They are a mixture of civilians, police and miltary, ready for rapid deployment to maintain peace and security in the region. We think this is an important organisation, serving a worthwhile purpose: which is why we assigned Guy to share our experience with the EASF and why we contribute more widely to help them become as effective as possible.