Peace & Security Council Report

This report from the Institute for Security Studies details the outcomes of the 25th African Union (AU) summit held in June 2015. It focuses on the Peace and Security Council's (PSC) efforts to address crises in South Sudan, Burundi, and Libya, the AU's strained relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and broader initiatives including the Continental Free Trade Area and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC).

• The Peace and Security Council (PSC) decided to table a controversial report on human rights abuses in South Sudan, which had been withheld in January 2015 to avoid jeopardizing peace talks. The report, led by Olusegun Obasanjo, recommends that the conflict's main protagonists be barred from any future unity government.
• The AU is attempting to manage the crisis in Burundi by calling for a 'consensual political solution' and requesting a resumption of dialogue to establish conditions for free and fair elections. However, the government in Bujumbura has rejected AU proposals to deploy human rights observers and military experts to verify the disarmament of militias.
• The AU Assembly reaffirmed its opposition to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) charges against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto, calling for the suspension or termination of these charges. This tension is highlighted by South Africa's decision to allow al-Bashir to attend the summit despite an ICC arrest warrant.
• The AU has launched negotiations for a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) with a target operational date of 2017. The CFTA aims to create a common market for all 54 AU members, though Trade Commissioner Fatima Hassan Acyl noted that success will require political will and a compensation mechanism for countries facing short-term losses.
• The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) was maintained as an interim measure at the 25th summit. While it provides a rapid response capability that the African Standby Force (ASF) currently lacks, the AU Assembly emphasized that ACIRC is a temporary solution and will likely be dismantled once the ASF's Rapid Deployment Capability is operational.
• To combat terrorism, the AU is supporting the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram, which consists of 10,000 troops from Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and Benin. Funding for the force includes $100 million from Nigeria, $50 million from the Economic Community of Central African States, and $5 million from the US.
• The AU continues to advocate for the reform of the UN Security Council based on the Ezulwini Consensus, which demands two permanent seats for Africa with veto powers. This position was upheld at the summit despite some member states, including South Africa, suggesting a more moderate approach.

APA

Allison, S., & Louw-Vaudran, L. (2015). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC71.pdf

Chicago

Allison, Simon, and Liesl Louw-Vaudran. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2015. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC71.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Allison |first1=Simon |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=July 2015 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC71.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allison2015peace, author = {Allison, Simon and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2015}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC71.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }