-                Excellences Honorable Ministers,

-                H.E Amb. Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner Political Affairs, Peace and Security,

-                Distinguished Invited Guests,

-                Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning,

It is my profound honour to be invited to share with you the current state of peace and security across Africa. As many of you will agree, the African Standby Force (ASF) remains a strategic tool in addressing critical issues of peace and security on our continent.

But before sharing the African Union’s (AU) perspective on the bigger picture in terms of Africa’s peace and security, allow me to express gratitude to our host, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Algeria has been a steadfast partner in fostering peace and security across the continent and a key supporter of the Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) Department.

Today, the world is facing disruptive forces that impact security, climate, economies, and the global order as a whole.

Africa, along with all its five regions, has not been spared from these challenges, leading to increased and complex security and political dynamics.

Throughout this year, these dynamics have presented significant challenges for member states of the African Union (AU). This has been individually and have put pressure on regional partnerships and historic friendships between certain member states.

Broadly speaking, 2024, much like the previous year, has seen the African Union working diligently to address issues such as terrorism, escalating violence, and rising cross-border tensions among AU Member States. We have also devoted our efforts to the impacts of climate-related conflicts and, regrettably, dealing with the aftermaths of Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCG).

This has led us at the African Union to believe it is essential to revisit our institutional norms and tools. This reassessment is now vital as part of our collective response to the developments occurring across all five regions.

As such, in Northern Africa, we continue to offer our support to the instability we have witnessed. Strategically, we are working with key partners to reinforce our efforts to ensure Libya has a unified government. Libya has the potential to follow its regional neighbours like Algeria turning its focus to economic reforms and strengthening civil society and mitigating socio-political tensions to maintain social cohesion.

Meanwhile, in West Africa, particularly the Sahel, we have continued to see extremist groups threaten governments with alarming concern. This has mostly been with some Sahel countries that have undergone Unconstitutional Changes of Government. Despite the combination of such threats, we note the strong role of ECOWAS and peace support operations such as MNJTF.

Similarly, in terms of governance, we are seeing member states in West Africa give priority to electoral integrity. In this regard, we applaud the peaceful transition of power in Senegal, as a symbol of hope in upholding the principles of democracy and good governance.

However, more must be done to respond to the persistent conflicts in Central Africa. A key conflict remains conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Both require a more strategic focus, especially in areas of governance, bringing in urgent humanitarian needs and long-term capacity building.

In Eastern Africa, Somalia and South Sudan demand strategic interventions. For Somalia, bolstering government capacity and regional security cooperation is essential to counter the Al-Shabaab threat.

As we transition from ATMIS to AUSSOM, we will require the necessary sustainable and predictable funding to ensure the African Union’s gains since 2007 cannot be reverse, allowing Somalia’s authorities to assume full security responsibilities.

Our strategic goal in South Sudan, as it has extended its transition period until 2027, is to ensure we support compromises that will enable the stakeholders to take decisive steps to implement the key benchmarks set out in the Revitalised Peace Agreement.

While relatively stable over the years, Southern Africa continues to face challenges with the situation Mozambique's Cabo Delgado, despite the insurgency seeing a lull, due to bold initiative of the SADC-led military peace support operation. Here we believe more must be done restore increased security and address local grievances. In Zimbabwe, the government’s decision to pivot to promoting economic reforms and democratic governance remain tasks we must all rally behind.

Beyond some of these big pictures facing all our regions covered, we must acknowledge that Africa as a whole is grappling with transnational challenges. These challenges are complex and require significant and sustained multilateral efforts. They must unite Africa, the African Union, and our like-minded partners.

For instance, the impact of pandemics and epidemics, along with emerging outbreaks in Africa such as Mpox, is placing a heavy burden on some AU Member States. This situation exacerbates humanitarian and economic crises and fosters political unrest, and regrettably creates space for geopolitical competition and exploitation.

And the growing threat of terrorism is evolving across the continent. Currently, as terrorist groups gain strength, the increasing overlap between terrorism, criminal activity, and smuggling networks is undermining regional stability across Africa.

Such a nexus has contributed to Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCGs) and the erosion of some nascent democracies in Africa. Unfortunately, some African countries are now turning to private security companies from outside the continent to help address the terrorism threat

Similarly, global transnational criminal organizations pose direct threats to Africa through activities such as the production and trafficking of lethal illicit drugs, wholesale theft, cybercrime, human trafficking, financial crimes, and money laundering.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that in our collective pursuit for lasting peace and security in Africa, we must acknowledge that this objective is intricate and one that will necessitate a comprehensive approach.

To that end, we must give unwavering support to African-led initiatives, such as the African Standby Force (ASF), which in part can effectively address issues of peace and security across the continent.

I thank you for your kind attention.

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