Primacy of politics or securitising governance? Options for a sustainable AU Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security

To succeed, the new department must overcome the challenges posed by the cost-cutting rationale behind its establishment.

As part of its institutional reform, the African Union (AU) Commission now includes a department resulting from the merger of the former departments of political affairs, and peace and security. The effectiveness of the new department poses strategic, policy and bureaucratic challenges. This policy brief suggests ways to optimise the AU’s responses while promoting the primacy of politics in solving crises in Africa.

About the authors

Paul-Simon Handy is Senior Regional Adviser at the Institute for Security Studies. 

Félicité Djilo is an independent researcher on peace and security in Africa.

Image: Amelia Broodryk/ISS