Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1303^rd meeting, held at the level of Heads of State and Government, on 24 September 2025, in New York, United States of America, on Re-Energizing Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.

The Peace and Security Council

Recalling the relevant AU Assembly Decisions and Declarations in which  the AU Heads of States and Government expressed their steadfast determination to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Africa and specifically recalling the flagship initiative on silencing the guns and its unwavering commitment to make peace a reality for all African people; to rid the Continent of wars, violent conflicts, human rights violations, humanitarian disasters; to prevent genocide; pledged not to bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans  and determined to end all wars in Africa;

Also recalling Article 3 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the AU, as well as  aspiration number 4 of the AU Agenda 2063, namely, ‘a Peaceful and Secure Africa”, as well as  the AU Master Roadmap of Practical Steps for Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2030;

Deeply concerned about the resurgence and relapses of conflict and crisis situations, compounded by the emergence of new threats and the phenomenon of protracted political transitions in the Continent;

Conscious of the indivisibility of security in Africa, and particularly the fact that the defence and security of one African country is directly linked to that of other African countries;

Also conscious of the fact that these conflict situations, are caused, among others, by governance deficits, non-respect for the fundamental principles stipulated in the 2000 AU Constitutive Act, the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the AU and provisions of other relevant AU normative instruments;

Determined to address the challenges facing conflict prevention and conflict resolution, in order to create conducive conditions for the realization of  the AU Vision, namely “An integrated prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena” AU Agenda 2063, as well as United Nations Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals;

Taking note of the Opening Remarks by H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola and PSC Chairperson for September 2025;  the introductory statement by H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the AU Commission and the statement by H.E. António Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations; and

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

1. Stresses that the AU is fully equipped with relevant and able tools, mechanisms and instruments to prevent and peacefully resolve conflicts and commits to redouble efforts to ensure the full implementation of AU instruments and PSC and Assembly decisions towards preventing and resolving conflicts, creating conducive environment for socio-economic development;

2.  Requests Member States to recommit to Pan-Africanism, unity, and solidarity as guiding principles of the AU Constitutive Act and the aspirations of Agenda 2063; as well as the normative frameworks that were part of the founding of our institution;

3.   Underscores the African Union’s abilities, strength and successes in conflict prevention and emphasizes the importance of re-energising and prioritizing preventive diplomacy as the most viable and inexpensive approach to promote peace, security and stability in the Continent; 

4.  Takes note with deep concern that Africa continues to face multiple interlocking challenges in preventing and resolving conflicts across the continent, including but not limited to the lack of predictable and sustainable funding; external interference; and limited implementation of AU decisions, and difficulties in implementing and monitoring peace agreements; to this end, resolves to studiously work towards the resolution of these challenges including through  developing innovative home grown solutions and mechanisms in this endeavour;

5.  Urges all Member States to fully cooperate and support the efforts deployed by the PSC in implementing its mandate, through implementation of decisions in accordance with Article 7 (2), (3) and (4) of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the AU;

6. Urges the five regions of the AU to fully comply with Article 5(2) of the PSC protocol on election of Members of the PSC; in this regard, requests the AU Commission to ensure that the criteria stipulated in Article 5(2) of the PSC Protocol are duly communicated to Member States following the call for candidatures for election of PSC Member States; and reaffirms the importance to fully implement Article 5 (2) of the PSC Protocol and decides to fully implement  Article 5(4) of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the AU to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of the Council; to this end, directs the Chairperson of the AU Commission to undertake the afore-mentioned review and submit it for consideration by the Council;

7.  Stresses the need for the PSC to maintain consistency in the application of the AU  normative instruments and in the promotion of AU shared values as it relates to democracy and good governance, with a view to maintaining and enhancing the institutional  integrity, credibility and legitimacy as well as the confidence and trust of the African people;  and to this end, underlines the need for the PSC to make full use of all available tools to ensure the implementation of its decisions, including recourse to punitive measures, as enshrined in AU normative instruments;

8.   Underlines the need for effective ealy warning analysis and early responses to looming conflict and crisis situations; further stresses the importance of drawing lessons from past early warning analyses and the corresponding response action, in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the AU conflict prevention mandate; deplores the persistent culture of denialism by concerned AU Member States, and RECs/RMs to credible early warning as it undermines the conflict prevention mandate of Council leading to further escalation of situations; in this respect, requests the AU Commission to develop a mechanism in order to address the issue denialism for PSC’s consideration; and encourages AU Member States and RECs/RMs to reaffirm their commitment to a collective approach to strengtrhen and fully implement the CEWS, recognizing its pivotal role in ensuring peace and security in the Continent; further encourages Member States to extend their cooperation to the AU Panel of the Wise and its subsidiary bodies in their preventive diplomacy efforts;

9.   Underlines the need for revamping the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS), to effectively preempt and mitigate conflict, as well as the need for ensuring inter-agency collaboration and coordination between the CEWS and similar structures of the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) and requests the AU Commission to work closely with all relevant stakeholders, notably, the the RECs/RMs, the Panel of the Wise and its subsidiary bodies,  and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, and other relevant AU agencies and institutions responsible for security matters,  in developing the modalities for an Integrated Preventive Diplomacy and Action; requests the AU Commission to continue to engage with relevant partners with a view to integrating RECs/RMs into AU- Partner financing frameworks in support of their actions, particilalry in the area of early warning, in a manner that ensures full coverage across all regions of the Continent;

10.   Urges all Member States to uphold the principles of the Union as stipulated in Article 4 of the AU Constitutive Act, as well as to continue to promote inclusive governance and democratic practices as an approach of preventing conflicts and crisis situations by more broadly  addressing the myriad of governance deficits that form part of the structural root causes and drivers of violent conflict and crises, including through ensuring equal participation of women, youth and marginalized groups in decision-making, forstering state legitimacy and improving public service delivery in understaffed regions;

11.  Fully acknowledges the critical role of the RECs/RMs in preventive measures and finding solutions to conflicts in their respective regions; and calls for regular consultations and engagements between the PSC and the RECs/RMs and alignment of efforts in addressing governnane, peace and security issues in line with Article 16 of the PSC Protocol;

12. Welcomes the establishment of a Continental Security Cartography as a decision-support tool for prevention and early action, and directs the AU Commission, together with AU Counter Terrorism Center (AUCTC), African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to establish and institutionalize a dynamic and continuously updated risk mapping tool to allow the PSC to strengthen its ability to engage in early early action;

13.  Reiterates the call for the strengthening of regional and international cooperation to effectively address peace and security challenges on the Continent, including by taking appropriate measures to ensure that no territories are used by terrorists for the preparation, financing, or organization of terrorist acts intended to be committed against other countries;

14.  Encourages the Member States to cooperate and to effectively fight against terrorist groups that continue  to commit massacres on civilian population and requests the AU Commission and RECs/RMs to provide the necessary technical and logistical support to the Member States in their efforts to combat these groups while protecting local communities;

15.   Underlines the importance of scalling up resource mobilization efforts to ensure the availability of adequate, predictable, flexible and sustainable financing for AU led peace operations, including through exploring innovative means of resource mobilization, and continuing to engage, both, traditional and non-traditional partners, as well as by encouraging Member States  and the private sector, continental financial institutions to make generous voluntary contributions to the AU Peace Fund;

16.  Underscores the primary responsibility of the UNSC for the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations; and in this regard, urges the UN Security Council to fully honour and implement its own Resolution 2719 (2023) and in this context, requests the Chairperson of the AU Commission in close coordination withthe UN Secretary General and the African Members of the UN Security Council (A3) to continue their engagements to ensure the timely and effective implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2719(2023) to financially support the AU-led peace support operations;

17.  Calls for further strengthenning of the strategic partnerships for the promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa through institutionalization and regularization of engagements, between the PSC and similar structures or mechanisms of the RECs/RMs,  between the PSC  and the UN Security Council (UNSC), the European Union Political and Security Committee (EUPSC) , as well as the Peace and Security Council of the League of Arab States (LAS PSC); 

18.  Takes note with concern of the proliferation of peace initiatives and externalization of African conflicts that undermine AU efforts. To this end, condemns external interferences in the AU peace processes and in this context, strongly calls for harmonization of peace initiatives under the leadership  of the AU and in the same vein, strongly urges AU Member States to refrain from taking any action that will seek to externalize African conflicts, thereby undermining the leadersip of the African Union in its peace endeavours and inadventently prolonging the conflicts in the Continent, to this end reaffirms the centrality of the AU in peace and security processes in Africa;

19.  Strongly condemns the presence of univited foreign military forces, including mercenaries and irregular private security forces, in some Member States as they are contrary to to  the letter and spirit of the African Common Defence and Security Policy and, in this regard, calls for the immediatre and uconditional withdrawal of such univited foreign forces and encourages the finalization of  the MoU between the AU  and RECs/RMs so as to fully operationalize and facilitate the deployment and employment of the African Standby Force (ASF)  and to ensure its effective use in preventing full-blown conflicts and also manage onflicts in accordance with the relevant provisions stipulated in the PSC Protocol; in this regard, underscores the urgent need for the full operationalization of the Continental Logistics Base in accordance with the legal instruments and relevant decisions of the AU policy organs;

20.  Underscores the need to address the underlying root causes and structural drivers of conflicts, youth participation in violence, including through supporting social and economic empowerement programmes aimed at economically empowering the population particularly the women and the youth, in order to reorient them away from the politics of identity aot the politics of interest;

21. Requests AU Commission through the Centre for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development to continue to provide technical assistance to all Member States emerging from conflict and crisis situations with a view to promoting their resilience capacities, promoting durable peace and, thus preventing relapses;

22.  Expresses deep concern over the growing scourge of illegal exploitation and trade of Africa’s natural resources by armed and terrorist groups, which are destabilizing Member States.  In this regard, underscores the importance of strengthening national and regional regulatory frameworks governing natural resource management; encourages Member States to adopt and implement AU guidelines on natural resource governance, while reinforcing their national laws; and also encourages Member States to utilize the proceeds from their natural resources’ wealth to promote inclusive national socio-economic development; and to ensure the active participation of the local communities in the management of natural resources in their countries and to promote beneficiation for local communities and populations in areas rich in mineral resources;

23. Takes note of the appointment of the five Members of the High-Level Panel on the Review of Governance, Peace and Security Framework and looks foward to the Report of the High-Level Panel, through the AU Champion for Institutional Reforms, towards re-energizing AU’s efforts in preventing and resolving conflicts; and

24.  Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS