Peace & Security Council Report

The September 2024 Peace & Security Council Report examines the institutional challenges of the African Union Commission, the implementation of the Pact for the Future, the need for a continental mine action mechanism, the slow progress of the Youth, Peace and Security agenda, and the application of International Humanitarian Law in the face of modern warfare and humanitarian crises.

• The African Union Commission (AUC) is facing a crisis of efficiency and structure, with institutional reforms launched in 2017 failing to provide a clear vision. Member states often perceive the commission as inefficient, leading to reforms that reduced its size but resulted in larger departments with limited capacity. The AU remains strongly intergovernmental, with member states preferring a reactive commission with limited scope to protect their sovereignty.
• The Peace and Security Council (PSC) is positioned to leverage the UN's Pact for the Future to enhance Africa's security governance. Key opportunities include linking the pact's focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to AU initiatives like 'Silencing the Guns' for structural conflict prevention, and using the pact's momentum to push for UN Security Council (UNSC) reform to redress Africa's historical underrepresentation.
• There is a critical need for a continental mine action mechanism to coordinate the clearance of landmines, explosive remnants of war (ERW), and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). As of 2021, 17 African states were contaminated by these devices, which hinder food security and economic activity. While some countries like Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Chad, and Burkina Faso have national structures, the lack of AU-driven coordination has left many states struggling with limited resources.
• The Continental Framework for Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) 10-year implementation plan (2020–2029) has seen very few milestones achieved by its 2024 targets. Specifically, while the target was for 25% of member states to develop youth-centred action plans, only the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria have done so. Implementation is hindered by meager resourcing and a lack of political will.
• Despite the 75-year history of the Geneva Conventions, International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is frequently violated in Africa, particularly in Sudan, the Sahel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Lake Chad Basin. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) notes that 37% of its field budget (CHF 718 million) is dedicated to Africa, highlighting the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
• The emergence of new technologies in warfare, including artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous weapon systems, presents new legal and ethical challenges for IHL. The PSC has tasked the AU Commission's special rapporteur on international law and cyberspace to develop a common African position on the rules of IHL governing the use of AI in armed conflict.

APA

Atta-Asamoah, A., Soumahoro, M., Mahdi, M., Handy, P.-S., Djilo, F., Belay, T., & Yohanes, D. (2024). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1733738933354-psc-report-172.pdf

Chicago

Atta-Asamoah, Andrews, Moussa Soumahoro, Maram Mahdi, Paul-Simon Handy, Félicité Djilo, Tsion Belay, and Dawit Yohanes. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2024. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1733738933354-psc-report-172.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{attaasamoah2024peace, author = {Atta-Asamoah, Andrews and Soumahoro, Moussa and Mahdi, Maram and Handy, Paul-Simon and Djilo, Félicité and Belay, Tsion and Yohanes, Dawit}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1733738933354-psc-report-172.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }