Peace & Security Council Report

This July 2020 issue of the Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines critical political and security challenges across Africa, focusing on the Central African Republic's electoral turning point, the diplomatic impasse between Somalia and Somaliland, insecurity in the Sahel, and the impact of COVID-19 on governance and elections across the continent.

• The Central African Republic (CAR) faces significant instability ahead of its December 27, 2020, elections, characterized by the return of former president Francois Bozizé and the formation of the Coalition de l’Opposition Démocratique (COD-20-20). Despite a February 2019 peace agreement, armed groups continue to control large parts of the territory, and displaced persons rose to 697,000 by May 2020.
• The African Union (AU) has historically avoided engaging in negotiations between Somalia and the self-declared independent region of Somaliland to respect the territorial integrity of member states and colonial borders. However, a June 14, 2020, Consultations Summit in Djibouti led to the creation of a Joint Ministerial Committee to oversee technical negotiations on security, humanitarian access, and the aviation sector.
• Security in the Sahel is deteriorating, with terror groups increasing attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic and international responses deemed inadequate. To strengthen military responses, the AU decided at its 33rd summit to explore the deployment of 3,000 troops for six months, while also seeking a 'global vision' to address root causes like underdevelopment and poor governance.
• COVID-19 has complicated the holding of free and fair elections across Africa, leading some countries like Ethiopia and Somalia to postpone polls. While there is no clear evidence that elections caused spikes in COVID-19 cases, the pandemic has been used by some governments to restrict political freedoms or justify the postponement of mandates.
• The pandemic has provided a pretext for some African governments to abuse fundamental rights through lockdowns and curfews. An African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) report found that 62% of people in 34 questioned countries questioned the legitimacy of lockdown measures, and there are concerns that security forces have used the crisis to target political dissidents.
• In West Africa and the Lake Chad Basin, the management of COVID-19 has been heavily influenced by existing political contexts. In Senegal, consultations led to social consensus, whereas in Cameroon and Mali, measures were contested or politicized, reflecting a broader lack of trust between citizens and governments.

APA

Diatta, M., Louw-Vaudran, L., Attah-Asamoah, A., Woldemichael, S., & Handy, P.-S. (2020). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-126-1.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Andrews Attah-Asamoah, Shewit Woldemichael, and Paul-Simon Handy. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2020. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-126-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diatta |first1=Mohamed |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Attah-Asamoah |first3=Andrews |last4=Woldemichael |first4=Shewit |last5=Handy |first5=Paul-Simon |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=July 2020 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-126-1.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 Handy, Paul-Simon}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-126-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }