Peace & Security Council Report

The June 2016 Peace & Security Council Report examines the strained relationship between the African Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the UN Security Council (UNSC), focusing on coordination failures, funding disputes for peacekeeping, and the AU's struggle to implement preventive diplomacy in member states like the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• The 10th Joint Consultative Meeting between the PSC and the UNSC in May 2016 revealed deep divisions and a lack of coordination, evidenced by a 'narrow agenda' that excluded divisive issues like Western Sahara. The two bodies operate with fundamentally different decision-making cultures, with the PSC being 'consensus oriented' and the UNSC being 'much more confrontational'.
• There is a persistent conflict regarding the funding of AU-led peacekeeping missions, such as AMISOM. While African states seek sustainable and predictable funding—including the use of UN-assessed contributions—major contributors like the US, France, and Japan insist that such funding be conditional on the adoption of a UN financial framework and UNSC authorisation.
• The PSC attempted to increase its influence over the three African non-permanent members of the UNSC (the A3) by deciding on 28 April 2016 that the A3 should report directly to the PSC on how they defend PSC decisions. However, this move faces legal challenges as obligations to the UN Charter generally supersede regional mechanisms.
• The AU's approach to political crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo, and Chad demonstrates a pattern of avoiding confrontation with incumbent leaders. This reluctance to oppose leaders who manipulate domestic legal instruments to extend their rule often undermines the AU's stated goals of promoting democracy and good governance.
• In Mali, climate change is actively fueling violent conflict, particularly in the Gao region, as drought and unpredictable rains force pastoralists into farming valleys, leading to clashes over land and water. The UN estimates that 2.5 million Malians will face food insecurity and malnutrition in 2016.
• The dispute over Western Sahara remains a point of tension between the AU and the UN. While the PSC views the situation as 'fundamentally an issue of decolonization', the UNSC has been perceived as issuing 'watered-down' statements, and the US has explicitly supported Morocco's autonomy plan over the Polisario Front's quest for independence.

APA

Bedzigui, Y., Louw-Vaudran, L., de Carvalho, G., & Rozen, J. (2016). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC81.pdf

Chicago

Bedzigui, Yann, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Gustavo de Carvalho, and Jonathan Rozen. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2016. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC81.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bedzigui |first1=Yann |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=de Carvalho |first3=Gustavo |last4=Rozen |first4=Jonathan |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2016 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC81.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bedzigui2016peace, author = {Bedzigui, Yann and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl and de Carvalho, Gustavo and Rozen, Jonathan}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC81.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }