Highlights of decisions of the PSC in October 2015

In October the PSC decided to impose sanctions on Burundi and ordered an investigation into human rights abuses in the country.

Published on 06 November 2015 in PSC Insights

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PSC Report

In October the Peace and Security Council (PSC) authorised the AMANI II field exercise in South Africa and commended the progress made with the operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF). It also took a strong stance on Burundi, authorising targeted sanctions and ordering the African Union Commission (AUC) to start planning an intervention force to stop violence in the country.

The schedule of the PSC for the month of October started on 9 October with a meeting that examined the ‘operationalisation of the ASF and its Rapid Deployment Capability (ASF-RDC), as well as on the AMANI AFRICA II field training exercise’.

The meeting preceded the highly anticipated military exercises of the ASF-RDC in South Africa that started in mid-October. The PSC commended the progress made in reaching full operational capability and the harmonisation of the African Capacity for the Immediate Response to Crises with the ASF-RDC through the AMANI AFRICA II exercise. The objective of the training exercise was to test the deployment capacity of the ASF-RDC and to check on the progress made in establishing a full multidimensional peace support operation.

The AMANI AFRICA II FTX military exercise took place from 19 October to 7 November with more than 5 400 troops, police and civilians from across Africa.

The PSC commended the progress made with the African Standby Force

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The conclusions of the PSC retreat that took place in Abuja, Nigeria from 14–16 September 2015 was considered by the PSC at its meeting on 9 October.

The retreat focused on the ‘Enhancement of cooperation between the PSC and the regional economic communities (RECs) and the regional mechanisms for conflict prevention, management and resolution (RMs)’.

The retreat proposed ways to strengthen the partnership between the PSC and the RECs/RMs for the more effective operationalisation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). The 9 October meeting endorsed the conclusions of this retreat.

Strengthening AU–EU cooperation

The eighth Annual Joint Consultative Meeting between the PSC and the European Union Political and Security Committee (EU PSC) took place on 16 October 2015 in Bishoftu, Ethiopia. Conflict situations in Burundi, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali/Sahel, South Sudan and Somalia dominated the discussions of the retreat, which also looked at ways to improve cooperation between the PSC and the EU PSC. The two bodies welcomed the latest agreement reached by the South Sudanese parties and asserted their support for Somalia’s Vision 2016.

On Libya, the meeting stated its support for the peace process led by the United Nations (UN), while it also expressed concern about the situation in Burundi. The meeting further identified terrorism and violent extremism as a growing threat, and migration as ‘a common challenge and a common responsibility for countries of origin, transit and destination’. The two organs agreed to enhance cooperation on APSA through more structured and regular communications.

PSC decides to impose sanctions on Burundi

The PSC decided to impose targeted sanctions on individuals in Burundi

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Burundi featured on the agenda of the PSC on 17 October. The meeting pointed to the continued political stalemate and lack of dialogue in Burundi and called theJune and July 2015 general elections ‘non-inclusive and non-consensual’. These elections had gone ahead despite a call for their postponement by the East African Community (EAC), the African Union and other members of the international community.

The meeting also expressed its concern about the growing insecurity and violence in the country, as well as ‘increased cases of human rights abuses, including assassinations, extra-judicial killings, violations of physical integrity of individuals, acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and/or degrading treatment, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions, violations of the freedom of press and expression, as well as the prevalence of impunity, and the continued worsening of the humanitarian situation, marked by an increase in the number of Burundians seeking refuge in the neighboring countries’.

In light of the above, the PSC decided to impose targeted sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze, against the parties responsible for the political impasse and deteriorating security. It requested the AUC to ‘urgently compile a list' of relevant Burundians. The meeting also asked the AUC to ensure that no member of the Burundian defence and security forces who took part in the violations participate in AU-led peace support operations, and that the AUC chairperson consults with the UN to harmonise action in this regard.

Burundi is a major troop contributor to the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The meeting also requested the AUC chairperson to rapidly increase the number of AU human rights observers and military experts to 100, and to discuss the plan with Bujumbura.

Human rights in Burundi investigated

The meeting called on the AUC chairperson to submit monthly reports on ‘the human rights situation and acts of violence in Burundi’, based on feedback from human rights observers and military experts. The meeting decided to start ‘an in-depth investigation on the violations of human rights and other abuses against civilian populations in Burundi, for the purposes of enabling Council to take additional measures’. It also requested the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to launch the investigation and submit a report to the PSC within a month and half.

The PSC requested the deployment of an African-led mission in Burundi

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The PSC requested the AUC to accelerate and finalise the strategy for the deployment of an African-led mission in Burundi to prevent widespread violence, in consultation with the EAC.

It also asked the AUC to present an update in this regard within a month. The PSC requested the AUC chairperson to transmit the present communiqué to the UN secretary-general and, through him, to the UN Security Council.

Call to support UN efforts in Libya

The PSC discussed the situation in Libya on 19 November, following the announcement by the UN special envoy for Libya that an agreement had been reached on a new proposal to form a unity government in Libya.

The meeting rejected the possibility of a military solution to the current crisis in the country and once again called on Libyan stakeholders to respect and properly implement the political agreement mediated by the UN. The council warned that anyone who spoiled the process ‘will be held accountable for their actions’.

The Ebola outbreak and post-Ebola recovery efforts in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were on the agenda of the PSC on 21 October. The council called for a comprehensive approach to the post-Ebola recovery to properly respond to the social, economic and political consequences of the outbreak. The meeting also called on the World Health Organization to urgently approve and make available the VSV-EBOV Ebola vaccine in the three countries.

The PSC asked the AUC to ‘urgently establish the African Volunteer Health Corps’ as a mechanism to be deployed during epidemic outbreaks, and to report to the PSC on progress.