Highlights of the PSC's decisions in September 2016

In September the PSC decided to send a delegation of prominent francophone lawyers to help Gabon in its post-election crisis.

Published on 24 October 2016 in PSC Insights

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PSC Report

In September 2016 the Peace and Security Council (PSC) once again tried to stop the ongoing violence in South Sudan by urging the government to accept the planned regional protection force.

It also held two meetings on Gabon and decided to send a team of lawyers mandated by the African Union (AU) to Gabon to assist the country’s constitutional court with decision-making. The planned high-level delegation of heads of state to Gabon, however, never materialised.

Modalities of the regional protection force in South Sudan

The PSC held two meetings on South Sudan in September. The first meeting, on 5 September, was an informal joint consultation between the PSC and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The meeting followed a three-day visit by the UNSC ambassadors to South Sudan to assess the situation on the ground and persuade the government to accept the UN-mandated regional protection force proposed by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The joint consultative meeting between the PSC and the UNSC provided an avenue for international partners to generate momentum on the modalities of the deployment of the protection force.

The PSC stressed the need to hold those who had committed atrocities accountable

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At its second meeting on South Sudan – at the level of heads of state and government on 19 September – the PSC urged the parties to the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) to build mutual trust, hold the interests of their country and its people above any other consideration, and implement the ARCSS.

The PSC stressed the need to hold those who had committed atrocities accountable in order to end impunity. It also emphasised the importance of deploying the proposed regional protection force ‘in total coordination’ with the government of South Sudan, with a view to reaching consensus on all the details related to its formation, as well as its deployment, mandate and areas of operation. The PSC further welcomed Egypt’s readiness to participate actively in the force.

Post-election crisis in Gabon

The PSC also held two meetings on Gabon this month to address the post-election tensions in the country. At its 620th meeting on 2 September the PSC deplored the destruction of private and public property and urged Gabonese to make use of all available legal and constitutional channels to resolve their differences pertaining to the results of the elections.

In a communiqué on 5 September, AU Chair President Idriss Deby of Chad affirmed the readiness of the AU to send a high-level delegation to Libreville as soon as the conditions for such a visit were met. However, this visit has not taken place yet.

PSC urged Gabonese to make use of all available channels to resolve their differences

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The PSC, at its second meeting on Gabon on 13 September, discussed the outcome of the mission to Libreville and Ndjamena undertaken by Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui from 8–10 September. The PSC decided that the AU Commission (AUC) should deploy observers, who will be chosen from eminent members of French-speaking African jurisdictions, to assist the Constitutional Court of Gabon.

Financing AU peace support operations

On Monday 5 September the PSC held a meeting on the implementation of the AU decision on financing the AU Peace Fund. Donald Kaberuka, the AU High Representative for the Peace Fund, updated the PSC on the way forward on the decision to institute a universal levy of 0.2% on eligible imports into Africa. The levy is expected to endow the Peace Fund with US$325 million in 2017, rising to US$400 million by 2020, against an estimated overall Peace Fund budget of US$302 million in 2020. Any unused balances will be held in the Crisis Reserve Facility to enable a rapid response to unforeseen crises, in line with Article 21 (4) of the PSC Protocol on Peace and Security.

State formation in Somalia

On 6 September the PSC held its 622nd meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the state formation effort in Somalia. The key issues discussed include securing the upcoming Somali elections. The PSC endorsed the 2016 election calendar as announced by Somalia’s national leadership forum: house of representatives elections (24 September); upper house elections (25 September); swearing in members of Parliament (20 October); election of the speaker (25 October); and election of the president (30 October). The election timeframes have, however, since been postponed by a month by the Somali government.

The key issues discussed include securing the upcoming Somali elections

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As part of the plan to drawn down the African Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) from 2018–2020, the PSC stressed the need for international support to help AMISOM and the Somali national army to combat al-Shabaab. The PSC emphasised the need to implement a comprehensive security strategy in Somalia to effectively balance the conduct of military operations with other security measures, such as strengthening state authority, providing basic services and implementing broader forms of stabilisation activities.

Political and institutional crisis in Guinea-Bissau

At its 623rd meeting on Thursday 8 September the PSC received a briefing on the situation in Guinea-Bissau. The briefing came amid serious concerns over the ongoing political impasse in the country. Political wrangling has delayed the adoption of the government programme and budget, and affected the delivery of government services. The PSC expressed deep concern over the continued political stalemate and insisted that only a genuine and inclusive dialogue would enable stakeholders in Guinea-Bissau to find a consensual solution to the crisis. In view of the history of coups in Guinea Bissau, including the recent coup d’état in 2012, the PSC commended Guinea-Bissau’s security forces for not intervening in the political and institutional crisis in the country. The PSC appealed to AU member states and the rest of the international community to mobilise financial resources in support of the efforts of the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB) to stabilise the country.

The PSC commended Guinea-Bissau’s security forces for not intervening in the political crisis

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Post-conflict reconstruction in the CAR

On 13 September, at its 624th meeting, the PSC considered the outcome of the ninth meeting of the International Contact Group on the Central African Republic (ICG-CAR), which had been held on 25 August. The PSC welcomed the transformation of the ICG-CAR into the International Support Group for the CAR (ISG-CAR) to assist in mobilising international support for peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction and development in the CAR. The PSC reiterated the importance of the scheduled international donors conference for the CAR in Brussels on 17 November.

At the PSC meeting the AUC noted its intention to convene, as soon as possible, an African Solidarity Conference to mobilise support from within Africa in support of the CAR prior to the Brussels conference. The PSC urged member states to support the CAR to ensure that the proceeds from the country’s vast natural resources are also used in national development efforts. The PSC also asked that the UN Mission for the CAR (MINUSCA) consider the possibility of deploying across the entire country to consolidate political and security gains in light of the menace posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and other armed and criminal groups in the CAR and the region.

Highlight of decisions in September 2016