Peace & Security Council Report

This June 2020 report from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the activities of the African Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC), focusing on regional coordination against COVID-19, the political and security situation in Somalia, institutional reforms within the AU Commission, and the challenges of borderland security and youth engagement.

• Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in West, Central, East, and Southern Africa adopted diverse strategies to manage COVID-19, ranging from the UEMOA allocating nearly US$9 billion via 'COVID-19 social bonds' to the SADC focusing on the 'Regional Guidelines on Harmonization and Facilitation of Movement of Essential Goods and Services'. However, these efforts were often hampered by unilateral national measures and border closures that disrupted trade and food security.
• The African Union is urged to evolve its engagement in Somalia beyond the counter-terrorism operations of AMISOM, which is expected to draw down in 2021. The report suggests focusing on strategic conflict resolution, supporting the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) for the 2020 elections, and addressing the nexus between inter-clan conflict and terrorism.
• Institutional reforms of the AU, initiated in 2016, aim to streamline the AU Commission (AUC) by reducing the number of commissioners and implementing a merit-based selection system for the January 2021 elections. Despite progress in financing and the transformation of NEPAD into the AUDA-NEPAD, the reforms are criticized for failing to address the lack of accountability in elected officials and the symbolic nature of the Pan African Parliament (PAP).
• Borderland insecurity in Africa is driven by poor governance, the fact that only an estimated 35% of borders are demarcated, and the securitization of borders. While the AU Border Programme (AUBP) provides technical support for demarcation, the PSC rarely addresses border disputes at a political level, leading some states to prefer the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or bilateral negotiations.
• The 'Youth and silencing the guns' campaign, launched by the AU chairperson’s special envoy on youth, has shifted to a digital format due to COVID-19. However, this transition excludes a significant portion of the youth population because average internet penetration in Africa is only 25%, creating a divide between 'online' and 'offline' youth.

APA

Diatta, M., Louw-Vaudran, L., Attah-Asamoah, A., Woldemichael, S., & Kujeke, M. (2020). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-125.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Andrews Attah-Asamoah, Shewit Woldemichael, and Muneinazvo Kujeke. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2020. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-125.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diatta |first1=Mohamed |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Attah-Asamoah |first3=Andrews |last4=Woldemichael |first4=Shewit |last5=Kujeke |first5=Muneinazvo |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2020 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-125.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{diatta2020peace, author = {Diatta, Mohamed and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl and Attah-Asamoah, Andrews and Woldemichael, Shewit and Kujeke, Muneinazvo}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-125.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }