Peace & Security Council Report

The November 2014 issue of the Peace & Security Council (PSC) Report details the African Union's (AU) interventions in Burkina Faso, its monitoring of various African elections, and its strategic focus on state fragility. It also provides a comprehensive analysis of the Ebola epidemic's impact on socio-political stability in West Africa and the international community's response.

• The PSC determined that the popular protests leading to the departure of President Blaise Compaoré in Burkina Faso were an expression of the 'people’s right to overthrow oppressive regimes' and not a violation of AU norms. However, the subsequent military takeover was classified as a coup d’état, and the AU gave the military a deadline of 18 November 2014 to transfer power to a civilian administration.
• The AU's Peace and Security Council is shifting its conflict prevention strategy to address the structural causes of state fragility rather than focusing solely on immediate triggers. This approach recognizes that fragility is a condition affecting all African countries to varying degrees, driven by structural flaws from state formation and emerging issues like climate change, rapid urbanisation, and the youth bulge.
• The Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone is identified as a threat to socio-political stability and security, not just a public health crisis. The outbreak has triggered social unrest, including riots and clashes between citizens and security forces, and has complicated the timing and organization of critical elections in Guinea and Liberia.
• The international response to the Ebola outbreak has been criticized as slow and inadequate, with many financial pledges and personnel commitments failing to materialize. While the World Health Organisation (WHO) was criticized for its delayed emergency declaration, significant contributions were eventually made by the US (over $300 million), the EU (up to €1 billion), and China (including a $15.7 million grant).
• The PSC maintains a quarterly review of elections in member states to minimize political crises and violence. In October 2014, the Council focused on elections in Mozambique and Tunisia, while also monitoring processes in Botswana, Namibia, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
• Former PSC Chair HE Alain Aimé Nyamitwe argues that the Council's effectiveness is limited by the willingness of member states to support it and the tendency of states to oppose the inclusion of their own issues on the agenda. He emphasizes that the PSC must establish primary ownership of African conflicts to be taken seriously by international partners.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2014). Peace & Security Council Report. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSCReport64.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Peace & Security Council Report. 2014. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSCReport64.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Peace & Security Council Report |date=November 2014 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSCReport64.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2014peace, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PSCReport64.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }