Peace & Security Council Report

This report from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the activities and structural challenges of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). It evaluates the performance of the fifth Panel of the Wise, the coordination between the PSC and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the resurgence of mercenarism in Africa, and the underutilization of policing in peace support operations. Additionally, it outlines the priorities of Cameroon during its chairship of the PSC.

• The fifth Panel of the Wise (PoW), selected in February 2022, has achieved moderate success, focusing primarily on transitions in Chad and South Sudan, but has struggled to engage in Sudan and Somalia due to ongoing violence and complex actor interests. The Panel faces significant structural and resource constraints, including a failure to meet with the PSC quarterly as decided in 2017 and an estimated 2024 budget of US$100,000, which is considered insufficient for its mandate.
• There is a significant disparity in decision-making speed and operational agility between the AU PSC and the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security. The SADC Organ's use of a three-member troika of heads of state allows for quicker responses and troop deployments, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whereas the PSC's broader membership and ambassadorial-level deliberations often delay implementation.
• Africa is experiencing a resurgence of mercenarism, with member states increasingly relying on private military contractors to combat violent extremists due to the unreadiness of the African Standby Force. Notable presence of mercenaries has been recorded in Libya (approximately 20,000 foreign forces/mercenaries as of December 2020), the Central African Republic (1,200 to 2,000 in 2022), Mali (nearly 1,645 as of April 2023), Mozambique, Sudan, and Burkina Faso.
• The AU's peace support operations (PSOs) are overly reliant on military solutions, with policing being systematically underused and sidelined. Of the 22 PSC-authorised PSOs, police officers have been deployed in only two: Darfur (2004-2007) and Somalia (2009-present). Furthermore, the 2018 Policy for International Policing in AU PSOs and Special Operations remains largely unimplemented, and the critical position of Chief Police Adviser remains vacant.
• Cameroon's chairship of the PSC includes priorities such as protecting journalists in conflict zones, disaster management related to climate change, and the 'future of the PSC' in the context of new security threats. Planned activities include field missions to Gabon to assess its transition and to the Central African Republic to launch Amnesty Month.

APA

Mahdi, M., Soumahoro, M., Atta-Asamoah, A., Kahsu, M., & Simakoloyi, Z. (2024). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1729512183403-PSCReport-171.pdf

Chicago

Mahdi, Maram, Moussa Soumahoro, Andrews Atta-Asamoah, Meressa Kahsu, and Zenge Simakoloyi. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2024. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1729512183403-PSCReport-171.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mahdi |first1=Maram |last2=Soumahoro |first2=Moussa |last3=Atta-Asamoah |first3=Andrews |last4=Kahsu |first4=Meressa |last5=Simakoloyi |first5=Zenge |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 2024 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1729512183403-PSCReport-171.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mahdi2024peace, author = {Mahdi, Maram and Soumahoro, Moussa and Atta-Asamoah, Andrews and Kahsu, Meressa and Simakoloyi, Zenge}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1729512183403-PSCReport-171.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }