Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1170^th meeting held on 22 August 2023, on Briefing on Continental Early Warning and Security Outlook by the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), the Africa Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) and the AU Police Coordination Mechanism (AFRIPOL).

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling Declaration [Ext/Assembly/AU/Decl.(XVI)] on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government, adopted by the 16^th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government held on 28 May 2022, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; also recalling its previous decisions and pronouncements on Continental Early Warning and Security Outlook, particularly,  Communiques [PSC/PR/COMM.1138 (2023)], adopted at its 1138^th meeting held on 8 February 2023;  [PSC/PR/COMM.1073 (2022)] adopted at its 1073^rd  meeting held on 6 April 2022; [PSC/PR/COMM.1014 (2021)] adopted at its 1014^th meeting held on 26 July 2021; [PSC/PR/COMM.(CMXIV)] adopted at its 914^th meeting held on 5 March 2020, and Communique [PSC/PR/COMM.CMI)] adopted at its 901^st held on 13 December 2019;

Determined to ensure the successful implementation of the AU Master Roadmap of Practical Steps for Silencing the Guns by 2030 and realization of Aspiration 4 of AU Agenda 2063;

Noting the opening statement by H.E. Ambassador Willy Nyamitwe, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Burundi to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for August 2023, and H.E. Ambassador Adeoye Bankole, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; also noting the presentations by H.E. Ambassador Zainab Ali Kotoko, Executive Secretary of CISSA, and by the representatives of ACSRT and AFRIPOL; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Expresses deep concern, over the persistence, resurgence and emergence of peace and security threats in the Continent, both, man-made and natural, including terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of government, intra-state conflicts, armed groups, proliferation of foreign fighters including mercenaries and foreign terrorist fighters, inter-communal violent conflicts, transnational organized crime, money laundering , illicit financial flows, illegal exploration of natural resources, cyber-security attacks, piracy, proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons, climate change-related threats such as drought, famine, floods, landslides, youth unemployment, abject poverty, irregular migration, animal diseases and pest infestation;

2. Reiterates its strongly condemnation of unconstitutional changes of governments in violation of AU normative instruments, particularly the Constitutive Act, the 2000 Lomé Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Government and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) and stresses the urgent need for reviewing the efficacy of the traditional AU responses to this scourge;
 
3. Commends CISSA, ACRST and AFRIPOL for their efforts and continued support to Member States, acknowledges the institutional capacity challenges being faced by these critical institutions and, in this regard, emphasizes the importance of redoubled efforts by the AU Commission in mobilizing all necessary resources to enable these specialised institutions to more effectively discharge their respective mandates;
 
4. Underlines the importance of enhanced international partnerships and cooperation, including through the conduct of joint operations, information and intelligence sharing and, in this context, encourages CISSA, ACRST and AFRIPOL to continue to deepening and further strengthening inter-institutional collaboration, including with other similar international institutions;
 
5. Emphasizes the need for Member States to redouble their efforts in comprehensively addressing the structural root causes of, and factors that drive and sustain, violent conflicts, including terrorism and violent extremism, by among others, ensuring effective presence of the State in their entire territories, addressing governance deficits, effective border controls, and also the need to take into full consideration of the triple nexus among peace, security and development;
 
6. Also emphasizes the need for Member States to invest more in climate smart and sensitive national development programmes, including in agriculture and infrastructural development, as well as in building national resilience to climate shocks, and in this respect, looks forward to the successful organization and outcomes of the upcoming Africa Climate Summit to be held in Nairobi, Kenya;  
 
7. Encourages Member States to continue to invest in capacity building efforts, including to further enhance their national early warning systems, as well as in the critical capacities and capabilities of their national law enforcement, defence and security institutions, with a view to facilitating early detection and ensuring robust responses to threats;  
 
8. Underlines the importance of collective security approaches towards effectively addressing the plethora of threats facing the Continent, and in this respect, calls for enhanced cooperation and collaboration between and among Member States, as well as between and among Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms affected by common security threats;
 
9. Underscores the need for comprehensive security sector reform programmes in Member States, particularly those currently fighting terrorism and violent extremism with a view to further enhancing their national law enforcement, defence and security capabilities;
 
10. Also encourages Member States to redouble efforts towards building infrastructures for peace, including building more effective and accountable institutions, promoting inclusivity and social cohesion; building community resilience, and respecting human rights, international humanitarian law and international human rights law in undertaking national security operations;
 
11. Expresses deep concern by the delays in ensuring expedited restoration of constitutional order in some Member States, strongly encourages them to redouble their efforts in order to ensure that all transitional tasks are implemented with the stipulated timelines;  
 
12. Reiterates its determination to combat and prevent terrorism and violent extremism in the Continent, and requests the AU Commission to expedite the establishment of a counter-terrorism unit within the African Standby Force (ASF) pursuant to Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.753 (XXXIII)] and Communique [PSC/PR./COMM. (CMLX)] adopted at its 960^th meeting held on 28 October 2020;
 
13. Urges Member States affected by terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism to redouble efforts in developing and disseminating counter-narratives, working in collaboration with the telecommunication companies, the media, civil society organization, and faith-based organizations;
 
14. Underscores the importance of sharing and promoting best practices in the protection of communities, particularly the youth and women, against radicalization that leads to terrorism and violent extremism;

15. Stresses the importance of national, regional and continental frameworks to guide Member States in addressing the ever-growing threat of abuse and misuse of the internet for purposes of cybercrimes and terrorism;
 
16. Underlines the need to expedite the operationalization of the AU Ministerial Committee on Counter-Terrorism pursuant to the 2022 Malabo Declaration on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government;
 
17. Requests the AU Commission to urgently review and adapt all AU counter-terrorism legal frameworks to ensure that they are in sync with the existing International counter-terrorism legal frameworks; as well as to ensure that future early warning briefings include aspects on the persistence of terrorism, particularly in the Sahel, despite the presence of numerous military bases and to propose actionable strategies for addressing the security situations in the region; and 
 
18. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS