Peace & Security Council Report

This report from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the activities and challenges of the African Union's (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) leading into 2016. It focuses on the AU's shifting emphasis toward human rights, the upcoming 2016 elections for the PSC and AU Commission, and the council's mixed success in managing conflicts in Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia, and Burkina Faso. The document also explores the persistent linguistic divide between anglophone and francophone member states and the evolving partnership between the AU and the United Nations.

• The African Union is shifting its focus toward human rights, moving away from the Organization of African Unity's principles of non-interference. This is evidenced by the theme of the 26th AU Summit, 'Human rights with a focus on the rights of women', and the deployment of human rights observers in Burundi, South Sudan, and Mali to prevent conflict escalation.
• The AU's ability to respond to crises is hindered by low ratification rates of legal instruments. While the Constitutive Act is ratified by all 54 member states, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance has been ratified by only 10 states, and the protocol for the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has been ratified by only 24.
• The Peace and Security Council (PSC) experienced varying success in 2015. It effectively rejected the September 16 coup in Burkina Faso, leading to the reinstatement of President Michel Kafando. However, it struggled to stop the civil war in South Sudan and faced challenges in Burundi, where its calls to postpone elections were ignored by the government.
• The AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has faced scrutiny due to reports of troops targeting civilians and allegations that Kenyan Defence Force elements colluded with al-Shabaab in illegal charcoal and sugar smuggling rings.
• A persistent linguistic divide exists between anglophone and francophone member states within the AU, often influencing leadership contests and perceptions of independence. Francophone states are sometimes accused of maintaining overly close ties to France, a legacy of the French colonial policy of assimilation compared to British indirect rule.
• The PSC's membership is determined by a mix of equitable regional representation and specific criteria, such as contribution to the Peace Fund and respect for the rule of law. In 2016, regional heavyweights including Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa are expected to maintain their seats.
• The AU and UN are moving toward a more sustainable partnership for peacekeeping. A strategic decision on September 26 recommitted AU member states to fund up to 25% of peacekeeping operations, while welcoming UN-assessed contributions.
• The PSC identified epidemics as a security threat in 2014 and responded to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa by extending the mandate of the ASEOWA mission and establishing the African Volunteer Health Corps.

APA

Louw-Vaudran, L., Bedzigui, Y., Lulie, H., & Allison, S. (2015). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC76_EngV4.pdf

Chicago

Louw-Vaudran, Liesl, Yann Bedzigui, Hallelujah Lulie, and Simon Allison. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2015. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC76_EngV4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Louw-Vaudran |first1=Liesl |last2=Bedzigui |first2=Yann |last3=Lulie |first3=Hallelujah |last4=Allison |first4=Simon |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=December 2015 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC76_EngV4.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{louwvaudran2015peace, author = {Louw-Vaudran, Liesl and Bedzigui, Yann and Lulie, Hallelujah and Allison, Simon}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC76_EngV4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }