April 2015 was a busy month for the Peace and Security Council (PSC). The Council met seven times and discussed a number of thematic issues and conflict situations across the continent. It was particularly concerned about the situations in Burundi and Libya.

Focus on elections

The first meeting of the PSC, held on 8 April 2015, was dedicated to the series of elections in African countries already held and still to come in 2015. The Council was briefed by the African Union (AU) Commission on the situation and results of the elections in Nigeria, the Comoros, Lesotho and Zambia, and the pre-election developments in Sudan, Togo and Burundi. The PSC commended the way in which the first batch of countries conducted their elections, stating that their success was a manifestation of their commitment to the AU principles on democracy, popular participation and good governance. The meeting singled out the election in Nigeria, the most populous country of the continent, and urged other members of the AU to emulate its example in conducting a peaceful and democratic election. It called for peaceful and credible elections in Sudan, Togo and Burundi.

The PSC called for peaceful and credible elections in Sudan, Togo and Burundi

On 9 April 2015 the PSC discussed the 2 April 2015 terrorist attack on a university in Garissa, Kenya. In a press statement that followed the meeting, the Council condemned the attack, which took the lives of more than 148 students, ‘in the strongest terms possible’ and called it an attack on the African continent as a whole. It called for renewed efforts to address the threat of terrorism on the continent.

Deteriorating situation in Libya

The brutal killing of 30 Ethiopians by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya featured on the agenda of the PSC during its meeting on 23 April. The Council expressed its shock and sorrow at the act that it called ‘heinous and criminal’. According to the PSC’s press statement, the growing activity and reach of ISIS in Libya is a manifestation of the seriousness of the deteriorating security in the country. The Council also decided to send a delegation led, by the PSC chairperson for April 2015 and a representative from the five regions of Africa, to express solidarity with and support to the Ethiopian people and government.

On 27 April the PSC was briefed on the issue of Boko Haram. The meeting heard statements from Benin, Cameroon and Nigeria, as members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), as well as the United Nations (UN) Secretariat, the European Union (EU), and France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, in their capacity as members of the UN Security Council. In the subsequent communiqué the Council commended the progress made in defeating Boko Haram and the continued territorial gains made against the group. It also called for the operationalisation of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

The PSC was presented with a report from the AUC chairperson on the situation in Libya and an update by the AU Special Envoy for Libya, Dileita Mohamed Dileita, in its meeting on 27 April. The meeting expressed concern about the ‘collapse of state structures’, the deteriorating security situation and the spread of terrorist groups and their activities in Libya. The PSC reaffirmed its stance that there would not be a military solution to the crisis in Libya and called for coordinated efforts to encourage the warring parties along the path of dialogue to resolve the conflict.

Calls for restraint in Burundi

The meeting commended the visit by the AUC chairperson to Bujumbura in March 2015

Burundi has seen series of protests since April 26, following an announcement by President Pierre Nkurunziza that he would run for a controversial third term. Clashes between police and protesters have led to the deaths of civilians, while thousands of Burundians fled the country, fearing violence. Developments in Burundi were discussed by the PSC at its 501st meeting, held on 28 April 2015. The PSC was briefed by the Commissioner for Peace and Security and Burundi’s ambassador to the AU. The Council called for restraint, referring to its communiqué of 5 March 2015, which called on the government of Burundi and other parties involved to work together for peaceful, inclusive, free, fair and credible elections. The meeting commended the visit by the AUC chairperson to Bujumbura in March 2015, and efforts by the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to resolve the crisis.

The efforts by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region were also welcomed by the PSC. The Council welcomed plans by the Chairperson of the Commission to urgently dispatch a high-level mission to Burundi to defuse the rising tension and encouraged the Panel of the Wise to continue engaging with the different parties in the crisis.

Burundi again featured on the agenda of the PSC on 30 April 2015. The meeting was again briefed by the Commissioner for Peace and Security and the Burundian Ambassador to the AU. The Council reaffirmed its call for a political dialogue guided by the text and spirt of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. The meeting also requested the AU Commission to hold urgent consultations with the government of Burundi to find ‘practical measures to de-escalate the situation’.

credit link:  http://www.issafrica.org/pscreport/addis-insights/highlights-of-the-major-decisions-of-the-psc-in-april-2015

The article was first published by The Institute for Security Studies (http://www.issafrica.org) and is republished with permission  granted to www.oasesnews.com