Voting booths could be places of tension, even violence, and may determine whether stability or turmoil prevails.
Many in Southern Africa are asking why SADC does not intervene in crises in the same way leaders in West Africa do.
At the recent AU summit, the Executive Council elected four new members to the PSC for a three-year term.
To be effective, the way in which crises get onto the PSC’s agenda needs to change.
Over the past three months the PSC has deliberated on various conflicts on the continent, but mostly supported regional efforts.
In October the PSC will discuss the situations in South Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho and the Great Lakes region.
In August 2018 the PSC will look at the Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and whether it is being implemented.
In the last three months of its tenure the outgoing PSC welcomed the deployment of a SADC mission to Lesotho and endorsed ECOWAS’ efforts in Guinea Bissau.
A retrospective of the outgoing PSC shows that from April 2016 to March 2018, 36% of the meetings were about ongoing crisis and conflict situations.
The election of 10 new PSC members shows that consultation within regions prevailed over competition between member states.
In the past year the AU has taken some steps towards silencing the guns, notably inaugurating an amnesty month to combat illegal arms smuggling.
In 2016 the PSC was faced with a number of crises but its impact was limited and it often relied on regional economic communities.
More +
