The African Union's Peace and Security Dilemma

Several incidents highlight the challenges facing the African Union (AU) Commission, as its recently reformed structures are put to work. These challenges test the organisation's capacity to keep up with the changing nature of security and governance in Africa.

These include the Peace and Security Council's (PSC) endorsement, which was dubbed an unconstitutional change of government in Chad, following the death of its former president Idriss Déby. Arguing that Chad's security threats required a special response, the PSC refrained from suspending the country from the AU.

The second incident was the recent rejection by Somali authorities of former Ghanaian president John Mahama's selection as AU High Representative in Somalia. The PSC requested this appointment by the AU Commission chairperson in June 2021. A similar rejection happened in Chad regarding High Representative Ibrahima Fall, who had to be replaced.

The third development is the June 23, 2021 decision by southern African heads of government, to deploy a Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission to support Mozambique's fight against violent extremists in Cabo Delgado. While SADC's decision is based on scenario 6 of the African Standby Force, it will be the first intervention force sent by an AU-recognised regional economic community (REC) to combat violent extremism.

"The AU Commission is struggling to ramp up its ability to address protracted conflicts. The only crisis where the AU is the major player is in Somalia. The AU's new Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security needs to prove its relevance and value to member states who seem less interested in the long-term, norm-based peacebuilding, promoted by the AU Constitutive Act and the protocol establishing the PSC," write Paul-Simon Handy for the Institute for Security Studies and Félicité Djilo, an independent peace and security analyst.