Peace & Security Council Report

The December 2019–January 2020 issue of the Peace & Security Council Report examines the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council's (PSC) effectiveness in conflict prevention, the challenges of its membership election process, the AU's efforts to rationalise its numerous external partnerships, and the progress of its Youth, Peace and Security agenda.

• The AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) is described as being at a 'crossroads' because it must demonstrate a tangible impact on peace and security, specifically regarding the 'Silencing the Guns' initiative, to avoid becoming irrelevant. While it showed potential in responding to the situation in Sudan, it has been criticized for remaining silent on conflicts in northern Cameroon, ethnic clashes in Ethiopia, and the situation in northern Mozambique.
• The process for electing the 10 new PSC members for the February 2020 term has become more competitive and negotiations tougher. Historically, selections were often uncontested and based on consensual arrangements within the five AU regions, but by late November 2019, it remained unclear which countries were contesting seats in each region.
• The AU is attempting to rationalise its external partnerships, which it views as 'unfit for purpose' because they are too numerous, redundant, and often serve the interests of partners over Africa. The AU has placed a moratorium on further summits organised by the AU Commission (AUC) until a review is complete, though Russia proceeded with the Sochi summit by working with Egypt rather than the AUC.
• The AU's Youth, Peace and Security agenda has seen the introduction of five regional youth ambassadors for peace to promote youth participation in policy and peace agreements. However, progress is stalled as the PSC has yet to adopt two key mandated documents: the Continental Framework on Youth, Peace and Security and the Study on the Roles and Contributions of Youth towards Peace and Security in Africa.
• The report identifies several countries at risk of election-related violence in 2020, including Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Togo, and Ethiopia. Specific concerns include the failure to counter terrorism in Burkina Faso and Niger, and the risk of 'debilitating balkanisation' in Ethiopia due to ethnic polarisation.
• During its 2019 chairmanship of the AU, Egypt focused on the African Continental Free Trade Area, infrastructure, and post-conflict reconstruction. Key achievements include the signing of a host country agreement on 11 December 2019 for the AU Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development in Cairo and hosting consultative summits on Sudan and Libya.

APA

Diatta, M., Louw-Vaudran, L., Attah-Asamoah, A., Woldemichael, S., Fabricius, P., & Kujeke, M. (2019). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport120.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Andrews Attah-Asamoah, Shewit Woldemichael, Peter Fabricius, and Muneinazvo Kujeke. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport120.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diatta |first1=Mohamed |last2=Louw-Vaudran |first2=Liesl |last3=Attah-Asamoah |first3=Andrews |last4=Woldemichael |first4=Shewit |last5=Fabricius |first5=Peter |last6=Kujeke |first6=Muneinazvo |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=December 2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport120.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 Fabricius, Peter and Kujeke, Muneinazvo}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pscreport120.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }