Peace & Security Council Report

The May 2020 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) challenges in the Sahel, the human rights risks associated with COVID-19 states of emergency, the adaptation of peace support operations (PSOs) to the pandemic, and the economic threat to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It also analyzes the potential shift in the global order and the need for Africa to reduce its dependence on external support.

• The African Union's plan to deploy a force of 3,000 troops for six months to the Sahel, involving the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), has faced delays due to disagreements among Peace and Security Council (PSC) members regarding troop contributions and financing.
• The AU Peace Fund is not currently a viable option for financing peace support operations because its unpredictable contributions and current endowment of approximately US$150 million are prioritized for lower-cost activities like preventive diplomacy and mediation.
• The use of states of emergency to combat COVID-19 in Africa has led to human rights concerns, including the authorization of home searches without warrants and the restriction of healthcare workers' ability to protest.
• Peace support operations (PSOs) in Africa have adapted to COVID-19 by using radio stations—such as Mikado FM in Mali and Radio Okapi in the DRC—to disseminate pandemic awareness and by distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) to remote communities.
• COVID-19 has hindered the full implementation of offensive mandates for PSOs, including the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), due to social distancing requirements.
• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa are heavily impacted by the pandemic, facing bankruptcy, salary cuts, and retrenchments, which may lead to social crises and affect regional stability.
• The pandemic is viewed as a catalyst for a new global order characterized by the waning leadership of the United States, the rise of nationalism, and increased contestation for influence between the US and China.

APA

Diatta, M., Louw-Vaudran, L., Attah-Asamoah, A., Woldemichael, S., & Handy, P.-S. (2020). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport-124.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Andrews Attah-Asamoah, Shewit Woldemichael, and Paul-Simon Handy. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2020. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport-124.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diatta |first1=Mohamed |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Attah-Asamoah |first3=Andrews |last4=Woldemichael |first4=Shewit |last5=Handy |first5=Paul-Simon |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=May 2020 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport-124.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{diatta2020peace, author = {Diatta, Mohamed and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl and Attah-Asamoah, Andrews and Woldemichael, Shewit and Handy, Paul-Simon}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport-124.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }