Egypt's PSC legacy: the case for African institutional resilience
As non-state actors and external interference deepen, Africa's first line of defence is its institutions.
In this statement, Dr Obaida Eldandarawy, Ambassador of Egypt to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the African Union, shares his thoughts on his country's contribution as chair of the Peace and Security Council.
As Egypt concluded its two-year membership of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) in March 2026, one challenge was prominent: the need to preserve and strengthen the African nation-state. This is in an environment in which African countries continue to grapple with pressing peace and security issues.
Despite many borders having had colonial origins, the African nation-state remains the essential building block of the AU and its vessel of sovereignty and the guarantor of territorial integrity. It is the most viable framework through which development, reconstruction, stability, personal dignity and safety and security are delivered to African citizens.
Yet across our continent, worsening peace and security challenges continue to erode the foundations of statehood. Many of these issues come with heavy exploitative external involvement, often linked to narrow economic or resources-related interests and global geopolitical dynamics and ambitions. This could see a strong and stable nation-state as a bulwark to such ambitions.
The continent finds itself in an axis of alliance with often destructive policies and practices contrary to a stable, developed and secure Africa that is in command of its wealth and meets the needs of its people. This is in no way a criticism of development-centric cooperation with genuine international partners that seek mutually beneficial outcomes.
Egypt's programme of work during its PSC chairship in February 2026, and similarly in October 2024, highlighted the urgency of defending the African nation-state by emphasising how impactful and crosscutting the matter truly is.
One challenge is prominent: the need to preserve and strengthen the African nation-state
In October 2024, the Council visited Port Sudan for the first time since the Sudanese crisis erupted, consulting with the League of Arab States in Cairo and convening a session on the nexus of peace, security and development. It also inaugurated the AU Centre for Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development and held annual consultations between the PSC and the United Nations Security Council in New York.
It considered the AU Commission report on combating terrorism, held a session on women, peace and security, examined the connection between climate, peace and security, and received an International Committee of the Red Cross briefing on Africa's humanitarian situation.
In February 2026, the Council reviewed the annual report on the state of peace and security in Africa and presented it to the 38th session of the AU heads of states and governments (14 to 15 February). It held ministerial-level sessions on Sudan and Somalia, convened an open debate on climate, peace and security and inaugurated the PSC Subcommittee on Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development.
In addition, it examined the governance implications of artificial intelligence and engaged informally with member states undergoing political transitions. The nexus between food security and peace was scrutinised through consultations with Rome-based agencies ― the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
These were not disconnected nor disjointed agenda items. They converged around a single theme that is a bedrock of Egyptian foreign policy. This is the necessity of safeguarding the integrity and resilience of African states amid mounting multidirectional internal and external pressures.
Worsening peace and security challenges continue to erode the foundations of statehood
Across several regions of Africa, non-state armed actors continue to feed on institutional weakness, economic fragility and social division. Their subversive operations erode the monopoly of legitimate force, undermine public trust and fragment national cohesion, leading to instability, misgovernance and even unconstitutional changes of government.
They slowly but surely tear the fabric of the nation and provide ample space for exploitative interference in continental affairs that fuel instability and threaten to unravel decades of painstaking post-independence state consolidation. In so doing, they reverse the long and arduous path of African independence that was set in motion by the likes of Nasser, Nkrumah and Nyerere, among other great African leaders and fathers of nations.
Climate stress adds another dangerous layer. The continent is experiencing intensified droughts, floods and extreme weather events that compromise agricultural productivity and exacerbate displacement. Food and water insecurities, in particular, are great concerns.
Competition over scarce water resources, transboundary river systems and degraded land increasingly intersect with fragile governance environments, heightening the risk of local and cross-border tensions. Addressing climate resilience must, therefore, include responsible water management, equitable transboundary cooperation and strengthened institutional frameworks for sustainable resource governance.
Rising global food and energy prices – exacerbated by geopolitical shocks – strain household resilience and public finances. It is clear that when states struggle to deliver basic services, non-state actors exploit the vacuum.
In defending the state and its hard-earned institutions, we defend Africa's future
As the PSC grappled with these challenges, one recommendation dominated – Africa must speak clearly and with one voice. It must express vehemently that its sovereignty is not negotiable, its territorial integrity is not transactional, and its institutions are not arenas for external competition and greed.
Nelson Mandela once reminded us that 'freedom is not merely the casting off of chains, but living in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others'. In today's context, that freedom includes the sovereign right of African peoples to determine their own political destiny without external manipulation. It recognises and understands that the defence of our institutions is the unfinished episode of our independence struggle.
The first chapter of Africa's liberation was territorial independence. The chapter now unfolding is one of institutional resilience – protecting our states from fragmentation, safeguarding our sovereignty from covert erosion and ensuring that external engagement strengthens rather than subverts our unity.
As Egypt concluded its tenure on the PSC, it reaffirmed its commitment to an Africa that is sovereign, united and resilient. The preservation of the African nation state is not merely a necessary defensive posture. It is a forward-looking investment in stability, development and dignity. In defending the state and its hard-earned institutions, we defend Africa's future.
In preserving our nations, we preserve and uphold the union and the interests of our African brothers and sisters. Egypt is ready to further such aims and looks forward to the support of AU member states to rejoin the PSC in 2028.
This statement was developed with contributions from Mohamed Borhan and Haidy Ahmed, diplomats at the embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Addis Ababa and its permanent mission to the AU
