Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1247th meeting held on 27 November 2024, on the Briefing by the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), the AU Counterterrorism Centre (AUCTC) and the AU Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL) on Continental Early Warning and Security Outlook.

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling all its previous decisions and pronouncements on Continental Early Warning and Security Outlook and related themes, particularly Communiqués [PSC/PR/COMM.1208 (2024)] adopted at its 1208th meeting held on 16 April 2024; [PSC/PR/COMM.1170 (2023)] adopted at its 1170th meeting held on 22 August 2023 and [PSC/PR/COMM.1138 (2023)] adopted at its 1138th meeting held on 8 February 2023;

Determined to ensure the successful implementation of the AU Master Roadmap of Practical Steps for Silencing the Guns by 2030 and the realization of Aspiration 4 of AU Agenda 2063, namely, the creation of a peaceful and secure Africa;

Noting the opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Jean-Leon Illunga Ngandu, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chairperson of the PSC for November 2024 and the briefings by H.E. Mr. Jackson Hamata, the Executive Secretary of CISSA and by Mr. Richard Apau on behalf of the Acting Director of the AU Counterterrorism Centre (AUCTC); and

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

1. Commends the AU Counter-terrorism Centre (AUCTC), the AU Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL) and by the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) for their invaluable contributions to the AU peace and security agenda; encourage them to continue to provide technical assistance and to increase the dissemination of early warning reports and operational intelligence to Member States and RECs/RMs, with a view to enabling them to more effectively respond to emerging threats; and emphasize the need for availing these institutions with all necessary resources, in order to enable them to more effectively discharge their respective mandates;

2. Also commends the continued efforts being deployed by Member States, Regional Economic Communities, and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) in preventing violent conflicts and in countering terrorism and violent extremism, as well as in continuously building and enhancing their national infrastructures for peace and calls for strengthened regional cooperation and joint action to bolster national and regional resilience, as well as peace, security and stability initiatives;

3. Expresses deep concern over the proliferation of threats to peace, security stability in the Continent, particularly the ongoing conflicts and the growing resilience and spread of terrorist organizations, the potential of conflicts in the Continent to attract foreign fighters, including foreign terrorist fighters; and transnational organized crime syndicates and, in this regard, underscores the need for the intensification of peace-making efforts to effectively resolve these conflicts;

4. Encourages Member States to comprehensively address the structural root causes and drivers of violent conflicts, particularly governance deficits, among others, by building robust and resilient state institutions, as well as to continuously strengthen national infrastructures for peace, security, stability and development using inclusive whole of government-whole of society approaches which mainstream the effective participation of women and youth at all levels of decision-making;

5. Also encourages Member States and RECs/RMs to support efforts aimed at strengthening the Continental Early Warning System, including by positively considering the credible early warning reports on looming crises and refraining from denialism, as well as to address the legitimate grievances of the population, in order to avert crises;

6. Reiterates the need for optimal utilization all available preventive diplomacy tools, including the Panel of the Wise and the AU Inter-Regional Knowledge Exchange on Early Warning and Conflict Prevention (I-RECKE), to bridge the gap between early warning and early response;

7. Strongly urges all Member States in political transitions to expeditiously implement the peace agreements and to complete all outstanding transitional tasks and restore constitutional order within the stipulated timelines;

8. Takes note of upcoming elections in the Continent and encourages the national election management bodies in concerned Member States to take necessary steps to ensure that the elections are organized professionally in line with the AU Principles and Guidelines; and in the same context; calls on all political parties participating in electoral processes to conduct themselves responsibly by placing the supreme interests of their countries and people above any individual or parochial interests and also encourages the contestants, civil society and the media to refrain from inciting violence and to pursue national legal channels in addressing election-related disputes;

9. Underscores the urgent need to address the rise of ethnic-based self-defense groups, which have emerged in response to security gaps, as they risk exacerbating ethnic tensions and complicating state-led counterterrorism efforts;

10. Calls for expeditious implementation of the Malabo and Abuja Declarations on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government, particularly the enhancement of the operational capacity of the AU Ministerial Committee on Counterterrorism (AUMCCT), and the PSC Counter-Terrorism SubCommittee;

11. Emphasizes the need for Member States to address the structural root causes and drivers of instability, including through integrating socio-economic development and climate resilience programs, within the framework of the nexus approach, between peace, security and development;

12. Encourages Member States to respect and abide by the provisions of all AU frameworks for peace and security in the Continent, including in particular, the Common African Defence and Security Policy;

13. Once again, expresses concern over the persistent challenge of denialism by some Member States and RECs/REMs of credible early warning reports of looming crises or violent conflicts; encourages Member States and RECs/RMs to reaffirm their commitment to support and strengthen the CEWS, mindful of its pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness of the PSC to prevent conflicts and crisis situations in the Continent; and further encourages Member States to extend full cooperation with the AU Panel of the Wise in their preventive diplomacy efforts;

14. Underlines the need for enhanced collaboration, including information sharing, between and among Member States, as well as with international partners, including technology firms, in order to more effectively counter the exploitation of digital platforms by terrorist and violent extremist groups;

15. Requests the AU Commission to work with Member States on enhancement of technological capacities, including counter-drone systems and cybersecurity frameworks, to address, in particular, the evolving technological threats posed by terrorist groups;

16. Also requests the AUCTC, CISSA, AFRIPOL, other specialized AU agencies and Member States to work together towards the establishment of a joint Cybersecurity Task Force focusing on preventing the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and emerging technologies by terrorist groups for radicalization, recruitment, training and funding;

17. Once again emphasizes the importance of further enhancing the institutional capacity of the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS), including through the adoption of up-to-date artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics, and to expand training programs for early warning, data analysis, and strategic communication to strengthen preventive security measures;

18. Further encourages Member States to continue to strengthen national early warning capacities, as well as defence and security policies, particularly those relating to terrorism financing by targeting illicit economic activities and criminal networks which sustain the activities of non-state armed groups and terrorist organizations in the Continent;

19. Underlines the importance of reviving and replicating intelligence fusion mechanisms such as the Nouakchott Process, and Djibouti Process, in other regions of the Continent, as critical information sharing platforms for Member States; and

20. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS