Peace & Security Council Report

The report argues that the African Union Commission's reform, which reduced commissioners from eight to six, has led to institutional imbalances where crisis response overshadows conflict prevention. It highlights a significant funding gap for the new structure, costing an additional US$53 million. The document also analyzes the rise of military coups, attributing them to 'democratic subversions' such as the removal of term limits, and discusses the strain on Africa's humanitarian system due to conflict and climate shocks.

• The reform of the African Union Commission (AUC) to reduce the number of commissioners from eight to six has created institutional imbalances. Specifically, the merger of political affairs and peace and security into the PAPS department has resulted in a structure where reactive crisis management takes precedence over accountable governance, policy foresight, and conflict prevention.
• The AUC restructuring has incurred substantial unplanned costs. The new structure costs US$128,744,201 for 1,380 personnel, compared to the Maputo structure's US$75,677,883 for 1,244 staff, creating a supplementary financial burden of US$53,066,318.
• Implementation of the new AUC structure is delayed because member states are struggling to cover the financial gap. This is exacerbated by irregular contributions and a capped contribution of US$250,000 per state since 2020, as well as a shift in donor priorities observed since early 2025.
• The merger that created the PAPS department led to the dissolution of the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) and the exclusion of the AU Border Programme (AUBP), weakening the AU's capacity to monitor emerging threats and manage border governance.
• Africa has experienced 11 successful military coups in nine countries over the last five years, including Mali, Guinea, Chad, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau. These are often reactions to 'democratic subversions' such as the use of lawfare and the removal of presidential term limits.
• Between 2000 and 2023, one-third of African countries amended their constitutions to remove or reset term limits. Examples include Cameroon (2008), Central African Republic (2023), Comoros (2018), Côte d’Ivoire (2016), Djibouti (2010), and Guinea (2020).
• Africa currently hosts more than 50 active armed conflicts, representing 40% of all global conflicts. Sudan is identified as having the world's largest displacement crisis, with over 13 million people forced from their homes.

APA

Handy, P.-S., Ani, N. C., Soumahoro, M., Simakoloyi, Z., & Mahdi, M. (2025). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1771224882984-psc-report-181.pdf

Chicago

Handy, Paul-Simon, Ndubuisi Christian Ani, Moussa Soumahoro, Zenge Simakoloyi, and Maram Mahdi. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2025. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1771224882984-psc-report-181.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Handy |first1=Paul-Simon |last2=Ani |first2=Ndubuisi Christian |last3=Soumahoro |first3=Moussa |last4=Simakoloyi |first4=Zenge |last5=Mahdi |first5=Maram |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=December 2025 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1771224882984-psc-report-181.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{handy2025peace, author = {Handy, Paul-Simon and Ani, Ndubuisi Christian and Soumahoro, Moussa and Simakoloyi, Zenge and Mahdi, Maram}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1771224882984-psc-report-181.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }