Peace & Security Council Report

The April 2021 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the operational challenges of the newly merged African Union Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) department, the diplomatic deadlock over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and governance crises in Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, and Chad.

• The operationalisation of the new African Union (AU) Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) department faces significant structural and personnel challenges. These include a lack of clear delineation of mandates between the Conflict Management and Governance and Conflict Prevention directorates, as well as uncertainty regarding the placement and job grades of staff following the merger and the elimination of short-term positions.
• Negotiations regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reached a deadlock in April 2021. Major points of contention include whether the final agreement should be binding or non-binding, water retention and release during droughts, and the mechanism for dispute resolution. Ethiopia views the dam as essential for development and poverty reduction, while Egypt considers it a matter of survival for its people.
• Governance challenges in Africa are manifesting as a trend where incumbents manipulate electoral laws and constitutions to maintain power. Examples include President Macky Sall in Senegal and President Patrice Talon in Benin, who have been accused of using the judiciary or electoral reforms to weaken political opposition. Additionally, leaders in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea have used new constitutions to bypass term limits.
• The Anglophone crisis in Cameroon has resulted in a significant humanitarian emergency, with refugees increasing from 20,485 in January 2018 to 63,235 in January 2021, and internally displaced people reaching 705,000 by November 2020. The report argues that the government's prioritisation of military responses over genuine political dialogue and federalism has failed to restore national cohesion.
• Chad's presidential elections on 11 April 2021 were marked by political tension, the exclusion of opposition candidates, and pre-election violence. The process was characterized by the rejection of several candidacies by the Supreme Court and the exclusion of Chadians abroad from voting, leading to doubts about the possibility of meaningful political and social dialogue.

APA

Diatta, M., Woldemichael, S., Handy, P.-S., & Hoinathy, R. (2021). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC Report no 134.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Shewit Woldemichael, Paul-Simon Handy, and Remadji Hoinathy. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2021. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC Report no 134.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diatta |first1=Mohamed |last2=Woldemichael |first2=Shewit |last3=Handy |first3=Paul-Simon |last4=Hoinathy |first4=Remadji |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=April 2021 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC Report no 134.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{diatta2021peace, author = {Diatta, Mohamed and Woldemichael, Shewit and Handy, Paul-Simon and Hoinathy, Remadji}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC Report no 134.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }