How AU’s Peace and Security Council works out in conflict prevention

THE Peace and Security Council (PSC) is the standing decisionmaking organ of the African Union (AU) for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.

It is a collective security and early warning arrangement intended to facilitate timely and efficient responses to conflict and crisis situations in Africa. It is also the key pillar of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), which is the framework for promoting peace, security and stability in Africa.

It is now 20 years since establishment of the council. Going by the law of addition and subtraction, it was in 2004, the Peace and Security Council was established. It has played a crucial role in conflict prevention, management and resolution across the continent.

According to Tanzania Ambassador to Ethiopia and the Permanent Representative to the AU, Mr Innocent Shiyo quoted the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmound Thabit Kombo, noting that the Council has facilitated timely interventions, promoted peace-building and advocated for the inclusion of youth and women in peace and security processes.

Speaking at the 1233rd AU PSC Ministerial Meeting in the margins of the 79th United Nations (UN) General Assembly on updated briefing on development in Sudan and the New Security Threats in Africa and the future of the Peace and Security Council, Mr Kombo said: “Additionally, the Peace and Security Council has cultivated strategic partnerships with global partners.

The partners include the United Nations Security Council and the European Union Political and Security Committee as part of collective determination to achieve the goal of a conflictfree Africa.” They are out to make peace a reality for all the people and to rid the continent of wars, civil conflicts, human rights violations, humanitarian disasters and violent conflicts.

Ambassador Kombo noted: “In reflecting on the past two decades, we must acknowledge that the nature of conflicts has become more complex, necessitating the Peace and Security Council to reassess its strategies and tools.

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“The Dar es Salaam Declaration we adopted in May this year, underscored on the need for a comprehensive governance reform, strengthening governance, investments in peace infrastructure, accelerated socio-economic development.

“There is the need to pursue common strategies to enhance the implementation of the PSC mandate for effective and efficient conflict prevention, management and resolution in Africa and commitment to implement all AU normative frameworks on illegal takeover of government in the continent as imperative elements if we are to realise the Aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the objective of a conflictfree Africa,” he said.

Mr Kombo added that to ensure that the Peace and Security Council remains effective in addressing both existing and new security threats, his delegation wished to propose the key priorities for the council’s consideration. The minister noted that the Peace and Security Council must further enhance its early warning systems and preventive diplomacy capacities as a fundamental tool in addressing the growing complexities of security challenges.

“In light of the recent surge in unconstitutional changes of government, the Peace and Security Council must intensify its efforts to promote democratic governance, constitutionalism and the rule of law “As Africa increasingly relies on technology for its development, the Peace and Security Council must integrate cybersecurity into its conflict prevention frameworks.

Member states must collaborate to bolster digital resilience, counter cyber threats and mitigate the risks posed by disinformation and digital disruption,” he said.

Mr Kombo remarked that the Peace and Security Council must reinforce its capacity to integrate climate security into its peace-building and conflict resolution strategies, ensuring that environmental factors are adequately addressed.

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On another front, he spoke of the Council building on its existing partnerships, the Peace and Security Council must continue to engage with the UN, the European Union and other international partners to ensure that Africa’s security challenges remain at the forefront of global discussions and that resources are mobilised for peace and security interventions.

Regarding the situation in Sudan, particularly the current developments in northern Darfur, he said the delegation of the United Republic of Tanzania is seriously concerned.

“We understand that the AU and various actors have made a lot of efforts to find peace in Sudan, but the situation is still deteriorating. We have heard the briefing that violence is increasing and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating. “We need to come up with a mechanism to protect civilians who are trapped in this conflict. We should not stop condemning this unjustified violence and putting pressure on the warring parties to stop fighting, ceasefire and come to the negotiating table.

“One more issue that we need to pay attention to is the proliferation of multiple efforts, which might further complicate the already complicated situation. We should all support the AU leadership, including through the High-Level Panel on Sudan, regarding this situation,” said.

The minister added that the Heads of State and Government of the PSC mandated President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda to chair the PSC Presidential Ad Hoc Committee on Sudan and that they were happy to know that he has called for a meeting in October and that his delegation was looking forward to the outcome of the planned meeting.

Excellencies, the future of the Peace and Security Council lies in its ability to adapt to the changing security dynamics of our continent. We must remain resolute in our commitment to promoting peace, stability and democratic governance while addressing emerging challenges in a proactive and coordinated manner.

The aspirations of Agenda 2063 will only be realised if we collectively recommit to the principles of peace, security and development.

He ended his remarks with a quote from the late Tanzanian Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, who is also one of the founder members of the OAU (Organisation of African Union) that is AU’s predecessor: “Unity will not make us rich, but it can make it difficult for Africa and the African people to be disregarded and humiliated”. (Accra Ghana, 6 March 1997).

On his part, Ambassador Shiyo noted that the PSC meeting considered two main agenda that were to updated briefing on developments in Sudan; and New Security Threats in Africa and the Future of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.

The last time the PSC discussed the situation in Sudan was during its 1228th session on 19 August 2024.

The 1228th press statement is herewith attached for ease of reference. What prompted the introduction of the situation in Sudan in the agenda of the PSC under the 1233rd session was the grave situation in North Darfur, particularly El Fasher.

Following the outbreak of fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023 which led to the capturing of Darfur by the RSF following the spread of the war to Darfur, North Darfur’s capital city, El Sasher, remained to be the only city in Darfur that remained outside of RSF control.

Ambassador Shiyo said that one of factors for keeping this city outside RSF control was the truce that had been brokered by local authorities leading to the freezing of the fighters of warring parties where they are, with local armed groups committing to remain neutral.

Since the launch of an offensive by the RSF for capturing the city on 10 May 2024, El Fasher has become a sight of major fighting, with the RSF imposing a siege on the city. On the 24th September 2024: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, expressed grave concern at the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in all provinces in Sudan, in particular El Fasher, Darfur.

The Chairperson strongly condemned the current escalation of the crisis and the spread of violence. The Chairperson called for an immediate cessation of the fighting inside and outside of El Fasher.

The chairperson reiterated the AU’s conviction that there can be no military solution to the crisis in Sudan and that this unjustified fighting only prolongs the suffering of all Sudanese people and the devastation of Sudan including Darfur after decades of conflict and forced displacement.

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In light of this grave situation, the Chairperson urged the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies, to immediately and unconditionally embrace a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.

This will pave the way for an inclusive All-Sudanese political dialogue to address the deeprooted causes of the conflict and reset Sudan towards constitutional democratic order and stability.

In this regard, the chairperson called on the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) to urgently consider the situation in Sudan, while welcoming the convening of the AU PSC Presidential Committee of 5 on the resolution of the conflict in Sudan, by President Museveni in Entebbe on 23 October 2024.

The chairperson reiterated the AU’s commitment to contribute with all means at its disposal to ending the conflict, through the various African mechanisms, including the High-Level Panel on Sudan, the AU Special Envoy for the Prevention of Genocide and the newly established Presidential Committee of five led by President Museveni As the 79th United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, the chairperson renews the call for an effective unification of efforts for collective international action to solve this extremely dangerous crisis in Sudan.

New Security Threats in Africa and the Future of the PSC Ambassador Shiyo said that as for that agenda item/session builds on the discussions from the High-Level Colloquium held on 25 May 2024 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to mark the 20th Anniversary of the PSC.

The High-Level Colloquium which was chaired by President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan and culminated in the adoption of the Dar es Salaam Declaration that outlined key peace and security challenges facing the continent and proposed actions to address them.

According to the concept note, the objective of the session is to ‘exchange views on the future of the PSC,’ to re-commit to bolstering intervention in all the countries in conflict and collectively explore policy approaches for proactively addressing emerging complex threats.

The rise of asymmetric warfare and the prominence of new security dynamics in Africa poses significant challenges to the PSC and its peace and security architecture. Africa’s security landscape has evolved dramatically since the establishment of the AU and the creation of African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) 20 years ago. Mr Shiyo noted that initially, inter-state conflicts and civil wars dominated, with little anticipation of asymmetric warfare involving terrorist groups becoming primary security concerns.

Other security threats such as emerging technologies, public health emergencies and climate change, also present unchartered challenges that existing continental security frameworks or peace and security tools struggle to address.

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Meanwhile, the rise of geopolitical rivalries on the international stage has intensified foreign involvement by both old and emerging powers in conflicts in Africa, further complicating their resolution.

This growing interference by foreign powers is not only shaping conflict dynamics and political behaviour but also undermining the agency of regional and continental policymakers in addressing conflicts and political crises.

These changing dynamics demand that the AU’s peace and security architecture adapt to remain relevant and fit for purpose. This meeting presents the opportunity for PSC Members to deliberate on the necessary shifts in light of the changing security dynamics and their implications for the APSA.