Peace & Security Council Report

The February 2019 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the election of four new members to the African Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC), the 2019 AU chairmanship of Egypt, and South Africa's upcoming 2020 chairmanship. It also analyzes the viability of a new peace deal in the Central African Republic, the humanitarian focus on refugees in 2019, and the escalating political crisis in Sudan.

• The election of four new members to the Peace and Security Council (PSC) on 7 February 2019—Lesotho, Burundi, Algeria, and Kenya—highlights a tension between member states wanting to prevent AU Commission interference and those seeking a stronger council. Burundi and Lesotho, both experiencing political instability, may use their seats to shield themselves from external scrutiny and prevent the PSC from intervening in their internal affairs.
• The PSC faces structural issues regarding the criteria for membership, with the regional representation system often leading to 'electoral cronyism' where states ignore the Protocol establishing the PSC. The report argues that the council needs a 'reboot' because countries not at peace internally are unable to effectively contribute to peace elsewhere.
• Egypt's 2019 AU chairmanship, led by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, prioritizes economic development and intra-African trade, including the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), though Egypt has yet to ratify the agreement. The report notes a policy gap in Egypt's six priority areas: the omission of governance issues, which are central to Africa's underdevelopment.
• South Africa's upcoming 2020 AU chairmanship presents an opportunity to promote good governance, democratisation, and the 'silencing the guns by 2020' initiative. The report suggests South Africa should use its position to oppose government-led internet and social media shutdowns, citing recent examples in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Chad, and Cameroon.
• The African Union has designated 2019 as the 'Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons,' proposing to move the refugee portfolio from Political Affairs to a new department for health, humanitarian affairs and social development. This shift aims to address the root causes of displacement in a region that hosts over one third of the world's forcibly displaced people, including 6.3 million refugees and 14.5 million internally displaced people.
• A peace agreement signed on 6 February 2019 between the Central African Republic (CAR) government and 14 armed groups is viewed as a diplomatic success for the AU, but its viability is questioned due to a history of failed agreements. Key challenges include the issues of power sharing and impunity, specifically regarding the use of presidential pardons and the role of the Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC).
• Widespread anti-government protests in Sudan, which began in Atbara on 19 December 2018, have resulted in more than 50 deaths between mid-December 2018 and early February 2019. The report urges the PSC to table Sudan for discussion and deploy a fact-finding mission to address the government's use of excessive force and the demands for comprehensive reforms.

APA

Diatta, M., Louw-Vaudran, L., Attah-Asamoah, A., & Abebe, T. T. (2019). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-110.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Andrews Attah-Asamoah, and Tsion Tadesse Abebe. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-110.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diatta |first1=Mohamed |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Attah-Asamoah |first3=Andrews |last4=Abebe |first4=Tsion Tadesse |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-110.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{diatta2019peace, author = {Diatta, Mohamed and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl and Attah-Asamoah, Andrews and Abebe, Tsion Tadesse}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-110.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }