Highlights of PSC decisions in December 2015

In December 2015 the PSC had a full schedule: it discussed Burundi, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.

Published on 21 January 2016 in PSC Insights

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PSC Report

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) had a busy December, despite the festive season. It held meetings on Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan and made a landmark decision to deploy an intervention force in Burundi.

On 10 December 2015 the PSC discussed developments in Somalia and the state of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). It seems 2016 is a decisive year for Somalia. The war-torn nation plans to implement the key elements of its Vision 2016, a road map that aspires to create a constitutional and democratically elected government with strong administrative and security structures and institutions.

The PSC meeting commended developments such as the establishment of the interim regional administrations, as well as the positive progress in the formation of institutions and processes such as the National Independent Electoral Commission and the National Consultative Forum.

The meeting decided to reduce allowances of AMISOM uniformed personnel by 20%

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The meeting renewed the mandate of AMISOM to 30 May 2016, limited its capacity to 22 126 uniformed personnel, and requested the African Union Commission (AUC) to accelerate the implementation of the revised concept of operations (CONOPS) of the mission. The council also asked the AUC chairperson to provide regular updates and present a report on the implementation of the support package to AMISOM within three months.

Referring to pledges made by Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda to provide air support for AMISOM operations, the meeting mandated the AUC to hold consultations with these countries as soon as possible. Highlighting the serious funding challenge faced by AMISOM, the meeting also decided to reduce the allowances paid to AMISOM uniformed personnel by 20%, starting January 2016. The PSC requested the AUC to continue engaging with the European Union (EU) to examine this challenge and look for alternative sources of funding.

The AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) on Sudan and South Sudan also featured on the agenda of the PSC on 10 December. The meeting, which commended the activities of the panel, decided to extend the mandate of the AUHIP for another year while requesting it to present a comprehensive report on its activities to the PSC as soon as possible.

At the 15 December meeting the PSC had an open session on ‘Illicit financial flows and their impact on peace, security and stability in Africa’. The council identified illicit financial flows as one of the sources funding terrorism and violent extremism on the continent. The meeting highlighted weak institutional governance and corruption as some of the structural ills that facilitate these illicit financial flows. The PSC emphasised the need for an AU legal framework to tackle the challenge of illicit financial flows and asked the AUC to take the necessary steps towards the development of a legal regime and submit it to the PSC.

Illicit financial flows fund terrorism and violent extremism on the continent

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The highly anticipated meeting of the PSC on Burundi took place on 17 December. The council noted that the deteriorating situation in the country could have ‘catastrophic consequences for Burundi and the entire region’.

In a decision that set an institutional precedence, the PSC decided to authorise the six-month-long deployment of the African Prevention and Protection Mission in Burundi (MAPROBU), a 5 000-strong mission with military, police and civilian components, under the authority of the Special Representative of the AUC chairperson. The decision was made under Article 4h of the AU Constitutive Act. The mission will be mandated to prevent violence and help create an environment conducive to the political process in Burundi. The meeting requested the AUC chairperson to immediately undertake consultations with countries of the region in the framework of the East African Standby Force (EASF) to generate the troop and police elements of the mission.

The PSC also requested the AUC chairperson to develop the concept of operations of MAPROBU and other mission documents, as well as the estimated budget for the deployment of MAPROBU, in collaboration with the EASF and the United Nations (UN). The AUC chairperson was also tasked with facilitating the urgent mobilisation of international assistance, including from the UN, and report back to the council within a week.

The PSC authorised the deployment of the African Prevention and Protection Mission in Burundi

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The PSC decided that all those who acted as obstacles to the inter-Burundian dialogue, and those responsible for the attacks on governmental facilities and other targets, would be subjected to sanctions. The meeting asked the AUC chairperson to provide a list of Burundian stakeholders to be targeted by the sanctions within 10 days. The PSC further decided to transfer the case to the AU Assembly of Heads of State if the Burundian government did not accept the deployment. It requested the AUC chairperson to transmit this communiqué to all member states, as well as to the UN and the AU’s bilateral and multilateral partners.

On 17 December the PSC also received a briefing on the Ebola situation and post-Ebola socio-economic recovery efforts in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The PSC requested the AUC to honour the members of ASEOWA (African Union Support to Ebola in West Africa) and decided to further review the Ebola situation based on a comprehensive ASEOWA evaluation report scheduled to be submitted to the PSC this month.