In what could be a worldwide model for dealing with regional conflicts, Secretary of State Warren Christopher Thursday called on Africa’s leaders to deal with their continent’s problems by creating a multinational rapid deployment force.

The unit would provide peacekeepers and humanitarian relief for wars and disasters, beginning with the building crisis of ethnic-based hatreds in Burundi.

Christopher, in a speech to the Organization of African Unity, formally proposed the creation of the African Crisis Response Force, warning: “Burundi today remains on the brink of even greater tragedy. Other nations are also at risk. We must develop the capacity for an effective response … and we must find new ways for Africans to work together.”

The United States is ready to back the force with as much as $20 million in fiscal 1997 for training and equipment; more support is being sought from European allies.

The force, as Christopher outlined it, would not be a standing unit. It would be 5,000 to 10,000 individuals drawn from military units of several African countries and assembled swiftly.