Peace & Security Council Report

The July 2016 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, the election of the African Union Commission (AUC) leadership, the limited powers of the AUC chairperson, and the Peace and Security Council's (PSC) engagement with various African conflicts, including the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and crises in Burundi and the DRC.

• The 27th AU summit in Kigali, Rwanda, scheduled for 10–18 July 2016, faced controversy due to the decision to exclude international observers, which civil society organisations argue "reduces the already limited space for citizen participation in AU summits".
• The election of the AUC chairperson and commissioners faced uncertainty, with some suggesting nominations be re-opened to find candidates of a "higher calibre", potentially postponing elections until January 2017. The final candidate list for commissioners consisted of 38 individuals: 26 men and 12 women.
• The AUC chairperson possesses limited executive power, as the role is primarily to implement decisions made by the AU Assembly of Heads of State; specifically, "None of the powers and responsibilities of the AUC chairperson is related to policymaking or defi ning the direction of the AU".
• The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony, has killed an estimated 100,000 people over 30 years. While the Regional Task Force (RTF) has weakened the group, there are warnings that the LRA is "on the rise again" due to inadequate RTF resources and continued support from Sudan, which provides a safe haven in the Kafi a Kingi enclave.
• The Peace and Security Council (PSC) has been heavily engaged in Burundi, with the situation taking up "most of the PSC’s time". Efforts include sending a high-level delegation led by President Jacob Zuma and appointing Benjamin Mpaka as a facilitator.
• The AU is struggling with a funding crisis and remains largely dependent on external funding. Member states committed in June 2015 to contribute 75% of the working budget and 25% of peace-support operation costs by 2020, but current contributions are lagging due to economic decline and falling commodity prices.
• The AU is launching an electronic 'African passport' to enhance the free movement of people and goods, serving as a landmark for the implementation of Agenda 2063.

APA

Bedzigui, Y., Louw-Vaudran, L., & Fabricius, P. (2016). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC82_2.pdf

Chicago

Bedzigui, Yann, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, and Peter Fabricius. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2016. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC82_2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bedzigui |first1=Yann |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Fabricius |first3=Peter |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=July 2016 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC82_2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bedzigui2016peace, author = {Bedzigui, Yann and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl and Fabricius, Peter}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSC82_2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }