Highlights of PSC decisions in May 2017
Last month the PSC decided to revive its sub-committee on counter-terrorism, but no deadline was set.
In May 2017 the Peace and Security Council (PSC) decided to continue the fight against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) – a group that some actors such as Uganda and the United States (US) believe is now a spent force. The PSC also attempted to tackle terrorism and violent extremism by reviving its structures set up to deal with these threats.
On 12 May the PSC renewed the mandate of the Regional Cooperation Initiative against the LRA (RCI-LRA) for 12 months despite the withdrawal of the US Special Forces and the Ugandan forces. In order to fill this gap, the PSC called for a realignment of the mandate of the deployed forces.
It asked the African Union Commission (AUC) to assist the armed forces of the Central African Republic (CAR) to train and deploy two battalions and four formed police units to establish security in LRA areas. The council also called on the AUC to enhance stabilisation efforts through ‘quick-impact projects’.
The Committee of Intelligence and Security Services in Africa (CISSA) and the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACRST) briefed the PSC on the fight against terrorism and violent extremism on 23 May.
The PSC noted the continuous threat of terrorism and violent extremism on the continent |
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The PSC noted the continuous threat of terrorism and violent extremism on the continent, as well as the growing capacity of terrorist organisations to fund their operations through criminal activities.
In order to respond to these developments, the PSC stressed the need to activate its sub-committee on counter-terrorism, and to operationalise the AU Special Fund on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism.
It also asked the ACRST to provide adequate support in building its legal frameworks to fight terrorism and violent extremism. The council requested the ACSRT, CISSA and AFRIPOL to work with partners towards developing a five-year strategic roadmap for the prevention and combating of terrorism and violent extremism.
On 26 May the PSC adopted the Conclusions of the PSC Retreat on the Implementation of the Conclusions of Successive PSC Retreats and the Related Adoptive Decisions from 2007 to 2016. This document will be submitted for endorsement to the AU Assembly during the upcoming summit in early July in Addis Ababa.
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Situation
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Decision
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Deadline
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RCI-LRA
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Renew the mandate for 12 months, taking into account the need to realign the concept of operations with new realities
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Immediately from 12 May
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Request the AU Commission to redouble its efforts at stabilisation through the implementation of peace-strengthening and quick-impact projects
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Immediately from 12 May
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Request the AU Commission to convene the next summit of RCI-LRA member states as soon as possible
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Immediately from 12 May
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Request the AU Commission to engage with CAR authorities and other AU member states to assist in training two battalions and four formed police units to assume security responsibilities and the protection of civilians in LRA-affected areas
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Immediately from 12 May
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Fight against terrorism and violent extremism
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Reiterate the need to activate the PSC Sub-Committee on Counter-Terrorism and operationalise the AU Special Fund on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and Violent Extremism
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None
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Request the ACSRT to work closely with member states to reconstitute its institutional focal points for liaison and coordination
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None
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Call on the ACSRT to continue providing technical support to member states in their efforts towards developing a legal framework against terrorism and violent extremism
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None
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Call on the AU Commision to convene a high-level meeting of member state experts on financing terrorism
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None
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Request the ACRST, CISSA and AFRIPOL in collaboration with partners to develop a five-year strategic roadmap for the prevention and combating of terrorism and violent extremism
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None
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Conclusions of the Retreat of the PSC on the Implementation of the Conclusions of Successive PSC Retreats and the Related Adoptive Decisions from 2007 to 2016
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Submit the Conclusions to the AU Assembly for endorsement during the AU summit in July
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3–4 July 2017
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