Peace & Security Council Report

The report examines the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to drive long-term GDP growth and poverty reduction by 2050, while noting that immediate gains will come from manufacturing and technology leapfrogging. It details the AU's suspension of Sudan following the military junta's crackdown on protestors and warns of risks including civil war and external influence from Gulf powers. The document highlights a democratic setback in Africa, where incumbents use constitutional amendments and electoral law changes to maintain power, citing Benin as a key example. It reviews AU peace support operations (PSOs) in Somalia and Darfur, arguing that military action must be paired with political solutions and questioning the neutrality of deploying neighbouring states. Finally, it discusses the AU-UN partnership, emphasizing the need for UN Security Council reform and sustainable financing for AU-led operations.

• The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which entered into force on 30 May 2019, is projected to be the most significant driver of GDP per capita growth and extreme poverty reduction in Africa by 2050, surpassing other factors like technology leapfrogging and agricultural revolution.
• The AU suspended Sudan on 6 June 2019 after the Transitional Military Council (TMC) ended talks with the civilian opposition and violently dispersed protestors in Khartoum; the report warns that the country faces risks of civil war and 'somalianisation' due to security service divisions and external influence from Gulf powers.
• There is a continental trend of democratic setback where incumbent regimes use constitutional amendments and the manipulation of electoral laws to extend their tenure and shrink political space, as seen in Benin and several other African nations.
• AU peace support operations (PSOs), specifically AMISOM in Somalia and UNAMID in Darfur, demonstrate that military engagements cannot sustain peace without accompanying political solutions and that the use of neighbouring state troops can compromise perceived neutrality.
• The partnership between the AU and the UN is hindered by the 'supremacy of the UNSC', specifically regarding the AU's demand for UN assessed contributions to finance PSOs and the long-stalled reform of the UN Security Council.
• In the Great Lakes region, the presence of non-state armed groups in eastern DRC and competition over natural resources remain the primary sources of instability, though the election of President Felix Tshisekedi is viewed as a positive signal for regional cooperation.

APA

Diatta, M., Louw-Vaudran, L., Attah-Asamoah, A., Woldemichael, S., & Fabricius, P. (2019). Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-114.pdf

Chicago

Diatta, Mohamed, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Andrews Attah-Asamoah, Shewit Woldemichael, and Peter Fabricius. Peace & Security Council Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-114.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 |title=Peace & Security Council Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-114.pdf |access-date=23 October 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}, title = {{Peace \& Security Council Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/psc-114.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }