Peace & Security Council Report

The August 2016 Peace & Security Council Report details the outcomes of the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, focusing on the deadlock in electing a new AU Commission chairperson, a historic agreement on AU self-financing, and the AU's strained relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC). It also analyzes the security crises in South Sudan, Libya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• The 27th AU Summit in Kigali failed to elect a new AU Commission (AUC) chairperson due to regional divisions and a record number of abstentions. In the final round of voting on 18 July, 30 states abstained, and the candidate from Botswana, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, failed to reach the required two-thirds majority of 53 votes. The elections were postponed to January 2017.
• African leaders unanimously approved a plan for the AU to become self-funded by imposing a 0.2% levy on all imports. This mechanism is intended to generate $1.2 billion to cover 100% of AU operations, 75% of programmes, and 25% of peacekeeping operations.
• The AU continues to clash with the International Criminal Court (ICC), specifically regarding the targeting of African states and the immunity of sitting heads of state. AU leaders rejected a draft ICC Action Plan that would allow the use of UN peacekeepers to execute arrest warrants, arguing it violates the "objectivity, impartiality and neutrality" of peace operations.
• In South Sudan, the AU and IGAD-Plus endorsed strengthening the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to protect civilians and pacify Juba. However, President Salva Kiir rejected the deployment of an African-led intervention brigade, leading the AU to prioritize a revised UNMISS mandate which does not require the host government's explicit consent.
• The AU plans to initiate a national dialogue on reconciliation in Libya to address the security crisis following the 2011 ouster of Gaddafi. This follows the December 2015 Libyan Political Agreement and the formation of the Government of National Accord (GNA), though significant divisions between eastern and western Libya persist.
• AU special envoy Edem Kodjo is facilitating a national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to resolve a political deadlock over elections. Kodjo stated that while preparations are underway for a dialogue in Kinshasa, it will be "very diffi cult" to hold elections in November as required by the constitution.

APA

Bedzigui, Y., Louw-Vaudran, L., & Ani, N. C. (2016). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc83.pdf

Chicago

Bedzigui, Yann, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, and Ndubuisi Christian Ani. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2016. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc83.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bedzigui |first1=Yann |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Ani |first3=Ndubuisi Christian |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 2016 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc83.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bedzigui2016peace, author = {Bedzigui, Yann and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl and Ani, Ndubuisi Christian}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc83.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }