Peace & Security Council Report

This report from the Institute for Security Studies provides a retrospective of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the term April 2016 to March 2018, analyzes the role of South Africa and Nigeria in continental initiatives like the AfCFTA, and features an interview with Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding its entry into the PSC.

• The outgoing Peace and Security Council (PSC) experienced a decline in bold crisis management decisions between April 2016 and March 2018, which the report attributes to a January 2016 decision to reject the deployment of a protection force to Burundi. This event is noted to have tarnished the authority of the PSC ambassadors in Addis Ababa.
• Between April 2016 and March 2018, 36% of PSC meetings focused on ongoing crisis and conflict situations. Eastern African crises were the most prominent, accounting for an average of 41% of these meetings, followed by Central Africa (28%) and West Africa (22%). Specific conflicts that dominated proceedings included South Sudan, Somalia, Darfur, the Central African Republic (CAR), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
• The PSC's decision-making remained stable in volume, with 64 decisions in Year One and 62 in Year Two. However, only 34 out of 126 statements actually contained the word 'decides', suggesting a limited number of outcomes that indicated a specific political or policy course of action.
• The PSC primarily acted as a provider of political support for regional initiatives rather than leading crisis management. The report highlights a failure to address burgeoning crises, citing the 2017 ousting of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe as an example of a situation the PSC barely addressed.
• South Africa and Nigeria are described as crucial for the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) due to their economic and diplomatic strength. Despite this, neither country signed the agreement at the March 21 summit in Kigali. Nigeria's absence was attributed to the need for further consultation with local stakeholders and concerns from private-sector organizations.
• Morocco, joining the PSC in April 2018, advocates for a comprehensive reform of the council to make it more intergovernmental and efficient. Morocco's vision emphasizes the interdependence of security, regional integration, and development, and it aims to share expertise in peacekeeping, mediation, and the fight against terrorism.
• The African Agenda on Migration, presented at the 30th AU Summit in January 2018, proposes an Afro-centred vision to make migration a choice rather than a necessity. Key recommendations include the creation of an African Observatory for Migration and the appointment of an AU Special Envoy for Migration.

APA

Bedzigui, Y., Ani, N. C., & Louw-Vaudran, L. (2018). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc101.pdf

Chicago

Bedzigui, Yann, Ndubuisi Christian Ani, and Liesl Louw-Vaudran. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2018. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc101.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bedzigui |first1=Yann |last2=Ani |first2=Ndubuisi Christian |last3=Louw-Vaudran |first3=Liesl |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=April 2018 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc101.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bedzigui2018peace, author = {Bedzigui, Yann and Ani, Ndubuisi Christian and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc101.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }