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This report from the Institute for Security Studies evaluates the functionality of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) subcommittees, examines the transition to constitutional order in Guinea, analyzes the decline of international humanitarian aid to Africa, and proposes strategies for enhancing continental maritime security, specifically through the Combined Maritime Task Force for the Gulf of Guinea.

The July 2022 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the complexities of Africa's regional economic communities (RECs), the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union (AU), the identity crisis of the African Standby Force (ASF), and the systemic challenges in eradicating extreme poverty across the continent.

The September 2021 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines critical stability challenges across Africa, focusing on the appointment of a high representative for the Horn of Africa, the diplomatic rift between Algeria and Morocco, the prevalence of enforced disappearances, security sector reform failures in South Sudan, and Sudan's decision to surrender Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the multidimensional political, economic, and social crisis in the Republic of Congo. It details how President Denis Sassou Nguesso utilized constitutional reforms to bypass term limits and maintain power, leading to increased political fragmentation, the use of coercive state machinery, and a reliance on manufactured consensus through stage-managed dialogues.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the diplomatic, economic, and security engagement between China and Liberia from 2003 to 2013. It analyzes China's role in the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), bilateral development aid, trade imbalances, and large-scale mining investments, concluding that the relationship is characterized by a significant imbalance where China is the 'absolute winner'.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the cycle of disarmament campaigns in Jonglei state, South Sudan, specifically comparing the failed 2006 effort with the 2009-2010 campaign. The author argues that the government's reliance on disarmament as the sole response to endemic violence ignores structural failures in local governance, the lack of civilian protection by the SPLA, and a cattle-based economy that incentivizes raiding and child abduction.

This report analyzes the limitations of international interventions in the security sector of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), specifically focusing on Security Sector Reform (SSR) and the International Security and Stabilization Support Strategy (ISSSS). The authors argue that these efforts failed to produce fundamental change because they adopted a technical approach that ignored the neo-patrimonial political nature of the Congolese state and the complex relationship between the military and local communities.

This research paper examines the relationship between the extraction of precious stones—specifically diamonds, coltan, and gold—and the perpetuation of armed conflicts in Southern Africa, with a focus on Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It analyzes how these resources fund rebel movements and governments, the challenges law enforcement faces in policing illicit trade, and proposes regulatory reforms to decouple resource wealth from conflict.

This August 2013 report from the Institute for Security Studies provides analysis on several African security crises, focusing on the political instability in Egypt following the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi, the stalled transition in Madagascar, and rising tensions between Frelimo and Renamo in Mozambique. It also examines the African Union's (AU) efforts to establish the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis (ACIRC) to address leadership failures in emergency responses, and the political crisis in South Sudan following the dissolution of its government by President Salva Kiir.