Peace & Security Council Report

The October 2019 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines critical security and governance challenges facing the African Union (AU), focusing on the threat of foreign terrorist fighters, the internationalisation of the Libyan conflict, the implementation of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and the political crisis in Guinea-Bissau.

• The return of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) from Syria and Iraq poses a significant transnational threat to Africa. Returnees may possess field experience to plan attacks, provide training in sophisticated artillery and explosives, and act as mentors for further radicalisation. The Combating Terrorism Center estimated that by mid-2018, there were approximately 6,050 fighters in Daesh-affiliated groups on the continent.
• The African Union lacks a comprehensive framework for the extradition and prosecution of returnees, and efforts to create a continental database of persons and entities involved in terrorism have been hindered by capacity deficits and information-sharing gaps among member states.
• The conflict in Libya has become internationalised, with external powers providing military support, finances, and arms to warring factions, which encourages a 'zero-sum military victory' over negotiated peace. This foreign interference has contributed to the proliferation of arms despite a UN embargo and has enabled criminal networks and terrorist groups to operate across porous borders.
• The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance faces significant challenges in implementation and domestication. While 34 countries have ratified it, many states struggle with the political and financial costs of institutional changes, and only Togo and Rwanda have submitted the required biennial reports since 2012.
• Guinea-Bissau's presidential election on 24 November 2019 was viewed as a critical juncture to end an institutional crisis lasting since August 2015. The country remains vulnerable to instability due to power struggles between the president and prime minister, as well as its role as a major transit point for cocaine from Latin America.
• During Morocco's chairmanship of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) in September 2019, the council prioritised coordination between the PSC and the AU Commission, addressed the existential threat of climate change to Africa's small island developing states, and supported the lifting of sanctions on Sudan following a historical agreement.

APA

Diatta, M., Louw-Vaudran, L., Attah-Asamoah, A., Woldemichael, S., & Toupane, M. (2019). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport118.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Andrews Attah-Asamoah, Shewit Woldemichael, and Maurice Toupane. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport118.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diatta |first1=Mohamed |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Attah-Asamoah |first3=Andrews |last4=Woldemichael |first4=Shewit |last5=Toupane |first5=Maurice |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=October 2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport118.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 and Toupane, Maurice}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport118.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }