PSC Interview: Gabon promotes integrated solutions for political stability and peace in Africa
Gabon’s experience demonstrates the importance of dialogue and addressing root causes during a political transition.
Her Excellency Ms. Lilly Stella Ngyema Ndong, Ambassador of Gabon to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU), shares her views with the PSC Report.
The Gabonese Republic has regained its right to participate in AU activities after a transition period of nearly two years following an unconstitutional change of government (UCG). What lessons could your country draw from this experience, particularly with regard to its relations with the AU and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)?
Gabon is pleased to be back within the great AU family, to which it has always belonged since its creation. After 19 months of transition, conducted scrupulously and methodically, and thanks to the holding of free and transparent elections, Gabon achieved a return to constitutional order, consolidated by the renewal and restoration of its institutions. This transition offers several lessons worth sharing.
First, it highlights the importance of providing contextualised support, that is, support grounded in the realities of each country and its population. Second, it is essential to prioritise constructive dialogue over a logic of isolation or total exclusion. Respect for AU instruments is important, but it must be accompanied by ongoing dialogue between the transitional authorities, the AU and, of course, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). This dialogue at the political level helps build trusting and peaceful relations and defuse tensions, helping the country understand that it is in its own interest to achieve a swift return to constitutional order.
Moreover, our experience also underscores the need to address the root causes of unconstitutional changes of government. Holding elections is not an end in itself: it must be preceded by reforms aimed at consolidating the rule of law, strengthening state institutions, promoting good governance and improving the socio-economic conditions of the population. It is precisely this work of restoring institutions and cleaning up governance, both political and economic and social, in particular through an inclusive national dialogue initiated beforehand by the Gabonese government, that made it possible to hold democratic, credible and inclusive presidential and legislative elections.
Lastly, the development, from the very start of the transition, of a clear roadmap backed by a realistic timeline, together with the firm resolve of the authorities to honour their commitments, were decisive factors. Gabon’s case demonstrates that a political transition conducted in a spirit of responsibility and inclusiveness, with adequate support from regional and continental organisations, can enable a peaceful return to constitutional order and, above all, the consolidation of institutional stability.
Gabon shows that responsible, inclusive political transitions can peacefully restore constitutional order and strengthen institutional stability
Gabon’s return to the AU was marked by its recent election as a member state of the Peace and Security Council (PSC). What are your country’s main priorities in this role?
Our experience of the transition reinforced a conviction long held within our diplomatic culture: conflict prevention and preventive diplomacy remain the best tools for combating political and security instability in Africa. It is this conviction that prompted the Gabonese government to put forward its candidacy for the PSC. For its term, which runs from 2026 to 2028, Gabon therefore aspires to serve the African peoples and contribute to the consolidation of lasting peace. To this end, our priorities will be:
- Conflict prevention, in particular through the promotion of dialogue, mediation and good offices, and peacebuilding, especially for countries in post-conflict situations.
- Strengthening the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) through adequate funding and the fuller operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF). With this in mind, President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema has decided to make a voluntary contribution of US$500,000 to the Peace Fund.
Furthermore, we believe that Gabon’s recent experience could be useful to other countries facing a political transition. President Oligui Nguema has already provided a concrete illustration of this by recently receiving Colonel Michael Randrianirina, President of the Transition in Madagascar.
Lastly, Gabon wishes to pay particular attention to environmental security issues. We believe the Peace and Security Council should take up the issue of the illicit exploitation of natural resources more actively, as it is one of the factors fuelling conflict on the continent.
Amid ever fiercer international competition for access to Africa’s strategic minerals, these resources are becoming a major issue for stability and sovereignty. It is therefore essential to promote better governance of this wealth by strengthening national ownership of its extraction and value addition. The President of Gabon has made the local processing of natural resources a strategic pillar of his development agenda.
The PSC should address more fully natural resource exploitation, which fuels continental conflict
The impact of climate change on peace and security is also a central concern. Desertification, growing water scarcity, population displacement and mounting pressure on natural resources are exacerbating tensions and conflicts. Africa must speak with one voice and promote a common position so that international responses fully take into account the continent’s realities and priorities.
Given the ongoing crises in the DRC, Sudan and the Sahel, many observers believe that the PSC’s impact remains limited, while external actors have taken the lead in peace negotiations. What steps can the PSC take to reassert its authority?
The maintenance of peace and security falls under the mandate of the United Nations Security Council. Today, owing to the erosion of multilateralism, which we deplore, this essential UN mission is being weakened and undermined. This fosters the emergence of crises whose solutions are no longer the subject of consensus, but are instead shaped and dictated by individual States or coalitions of States acting in their own interests.
That said, at the global level, Africa and its populations are the most affected by conflict. We cannot always rely on the intervention of the UN Security Council, particularly in this period of major geopolitical upheaval. The AU must reclaim the initiative in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sahel. Our capacity to propose viable solutions, our commitment to supporting countries in crisis, and the establishment of mechanisms to monitor the implementation of peace agreements will make the PSC a central and reliable actor in resolving African conflicts.
To achieve this, adequate and predictable funding is naturally required. The decision taken at the last Summit to raise the AU Peace Fund to US$1 billion is commendable, but Member States must now be convinced to honour their financial commitments. These funds should make it possible to revive the African Standby Force.
Ongoing reflection and dialogue will create an AU that fulfils the aspirations and interests of the people
Coordination between the PSC and the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms has long been an obstacle to establishing a unified institutional response to crises in Africa. With the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the use of the African Standby Force and the progress made in clarifying the division of roles, should we expect improvement in this area?
Today we welcome the growing synergy of activities and the institutionalisation of meetings between the PSC, the RECs and RMs. It should not be forgotten that the principle of subsidiarity must be respected and grounded in the comparative advantages of the AU and these regional institutions.
The signing of the memorandum of understanding on the use of the ASF establishes the framework for structured and robust cooperation, and is therefore to be welcomed. We believe it will help strengthen the operational readiness, responsiveness and effectiveness of the ASF, in particular through the finalisation of strategic planning and the operational guidance framework.
In political circles, it is said that, given the weak implementation of PSC decisions, the Council needs in-depth reform to move from being a decision-making body to an operational one. What is your response to this?
I believe we must first avoid being overly harsh in our assessment. The Peace and Security Council has delivered important progress in conflict prevention, mediation and crisis response. That said, it is true that the implementation of some of its decisions falls short of expectations. This situation is mainly explained by several factors.
The first reason relates to a lack of resources. The AU has solid instruments and a robust normative framework, but it often lacks the financial, logistical and operational means needed to implement well-intentioned decisions. Gabon advocates for strengthening the African Peace and Security Architecture through more autonomous, predictable and sustainable financing of African conflict prevention and management mechanisms.
The second challenge is political in nature. The Council’s effectiveness depends on its members’ ability to forge consensus in the continent’s higher interest. We must continue to promote dialogue and African solidarity so that national considerations do not take precedence over collective priorities.
Transforming the PSC into a more operational body is a legitimate question that deserves frank and honest debate. In my view, before even reconsidering the Council’s mandate, it is essential to give it the means to fully exercise the responsibilities that Member States have already entrusted to it. This is not only an institutional question, but also a political, financial and operational one.
Lastly, we need a more integrated approach to peace and security. Conflicts often originate in challenges related to development, governance, inequality, climate change or the illicit exploitation of natural resources. Strengthening peace in Africa requires acting on these levers simultaneously.
Gabon supports all reforms likely to make the PSC more effective, more responsive and more pragmatic. We are convinced that a stronger AU, equipped with high-performing institutions and resources commensurate with its ambitions, will be better placed to meet the expectations of the African peoples. It is by encouraging this kind of reflection and dialogue that we will help build a more effective and credible AU, one that better serves the aspirations and interests of the people.
