Peace & Security Council Report

The April 2019 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines critical stability challenges across Africa, focusing on the fragility of peace deals in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, the trend of constitutional amendments to extend presidential terms, and the escalating crises in Cameroon and Sudan.

• The African Union (AU) intervened in March 2019 in Addis Ababa to prevent the collapse of the February 6 Khartoum agreement in the Central African Republic (CAR). The crisis was triggered by the appointment of a cabinet that armed groups felt was not inclusive, as key ministries were retained by the government and prominent leaders like Ali Darassa were excluded from ministerial roles. A compromise was reached where three rebel leaders—Darassa, Mahamat Al Katim, and Bi Sidi Souleymane—were appointed as advisors to the prime minister to manage mixed special security units in regions they already control.
• There is a growing trend of African incumbents amending national constitutions to extend term limits or centralise power, which the report identifies as a threat to stability. Since 2015, countries including Algeria, Burundi, the Comoros, Chad, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda have made such amendments. The report notes that the AU has been reactive rather than proactive, as only military coups are currently sanctioned under the charter, while constitutional 'tampering' often evades attention or is viewed as having a 'semblance of legality' through referendums.
• The peace agreement in South Sudan, signed in September 2018 to revitalise the 2015 deal, shows macro signs of progress but remains fragile. While exiled opposition leaders have returned to Juba and approximately 135,000 internally displaced people have returned home, 56% of crucial pre-transition milestones remain unmet. These include the unification of the army, determination of state boundaries, and constitutional amendments. Implementation is further hindered by a lack of funding, with the National Pre-Transitional Committee's US$285 million budget receiving only a US$10 million pledge from the government as of February 2019.
• The African Union is deeply divided over the Western Sahara conflict, as evidenced by two competing conferences in March 2019. A SADC 'Solidarity Conference' in Pretoria supported self-determination and decolonisation, while a Moroccan conference in Marrakesh pushed for the exclusion of most AU organs from negotiations, limiting involvement to the AU troika. The report argues that the Peace and Security Council (PSC) must meet at the level of heads of state to resolve these divergent views and remain relevant.
• Cameroon is facing a dual security crisis involving Boko Haram attacks in the extreme north and an armed insurrection in the anglophone north-west and south-west regions. The 'anglophone crisis' has led to an estimated 437,513 internally displaced people and significant economic losses, including 56 billion CFA francs in the coffee-cocoa sector for 2017-2018. Despite these threats and a polarised political climate surrounding President Paul Biya, the PSC has not yet discussed the situation in Cameroon.
• Following the deposition of President Omar al-Bashir on 11 April 2019, Sudan is in an uncertain transition. The protests were driven by structural factors—including 30 years of autocracy and Sharia rule—and triggered by the removal of subsidies on wheat and electricity amid inflation spiking at around 70%. The transition's success depends on the Military Council's ability to navigate four power coalitions: the armed groups, civilian political forces (such as the Freedom and Change Coalition), the 'deep state' of the defunct National Congress Party, and international actors.

APA

Diatta, M., Louw-Vaudran, L., Attah-Asamoah, A., & Woldemichael, S. (2019). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport112.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Andrews Attah-Asamoah, and Shewit Woldemichael. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport112.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diatta |first1=Mohamed |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Attah-Asamoah |first3=Andrews |last4=Woldemichael |first4=Shewit |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=April 2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport112.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{diatta2019peace, author = {Diatta, Mohamed and Louw-Vaudran, Liesl and Attah-Asamoah, Andrews and Woldemichael, Shewit}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport112.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }