In October, the Republic of Cameroon assumes the role of chairing the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). The Provisional Programme of Work (PPoW) for the month envisages six substantive sessions covering seven agenda items alongside PSC engagements with other bodies, including the African Group and the A3; the 9^th AUPSC/UNPBC Annual Joint Consultative Meeting; the 11^th Informal Joint Seminar between the AUPSC and the UNSC; and the 20^th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting with the UNSC. The month will also feature an informal engagement with the Chairperson of the AU Commission on early warning. Apart from one session which will be held at the ministerial level, all the five remaining substantive sessions will be held at the ambassadorial level. Two of the sessions will focus on country-specific situations, while the remaining will address thematic issues. In addition to the activities of the PSC, the PSC Committee of Experts (CoE) is also expected to hold a meeting.

The PSC will convene its first session of the month on 1 October to receive an update on the situation in Guinea-Bissau. The Council last considered the situation in the country at its 1347^th session, held on 18 May 2026. The PSC is expected to receive an update on developments since its May session, particularly preparations for the elections scheduled for 6 December 2026. At its previous session, the Council stressed the importance of creating conditions for credible, transparent and inclusive elections, including by strengthening the institutional independence and operational capacity of the National Electoral Commission and the Supreme Court. One issue likely to confront the PSC is whether the envisaged electoral process will comply with Article 25(4) of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), particularly following former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s reported announcement that he intends to return to Guinea-Bissau and contest the presidential election. His prospective candidacy raises questions under Article 25(4) of ACDEG, which bars perpetrators of unconstitutional changes of government from participating in elections held to restore democratic order, in light of reports concerning his involvement in the events surrounding the November 2025 coup.

Following this, on 4 October, there will be the 8^th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the AU and the RECs, which will be held in Al Alamein, Egypt. The AU Mid-Year Coordination Summit is an annual high-level meeting that serves as the main institutional platform for advancing regional and continental integration. It brings together the AU and the RECs to align their policies and coordinate the implementation of their plans.

On 8 October, the PSC will convene a session on ‘Information Integrity, Peace and Security in Africa.’ It is worth recalling that in September 2024, during Cameroon’s chairship, the Council held its 1230^th session (its inaugural session) focusing on the ‘Protection of Journalists and Access to Information in Situation of Armed Conflicts in Africa.’ It then convened its 1311^th session in November 2025, on Media, Peace and Security. This upcoming 8 October session will therefore provide an opportunity for the PSC to get an update on the different decisions from the previous two sessions, including for the AU Commission to: produce a comprehensive study on the legal, institutional and policy framework and map the protection of journalists and access to information in Africa; develop a Continental Media Regulatory Framework and Observatory and establish an AU Continental Media House; and develop a Matrix of all PSC decisions and instruments on the role of the Media in popularisation of peace and security initiatives as well as the protection of journalists. This was, however, to be submitted to Council before March 2026. Of significance will be a follow-up on its call for developing a Continental Framework on Digital Peace and Information Integrity in Africa, from the same 1311^th session. The session will also come just nine days after the commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), celebrated every 28 September. The 2026 International Day for Universal Access to Information theme is ‘Upholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The role of access to information in addressing information disorder.’ The Day explores how access to reliable official information, proactive disclosure, media and information literacy, credible data and digital technologies can contribute to a healthier information environment.

On 13 October, there will be the ‘Annual Briefing by the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on its Activities in Africa’ and a ‘Briefing by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).’ Since it became a statutory meeting in 2007, the session is expected to include a briefing on key humanitarian concerns in Africa and trends in humanitarian assistance. It is expected that the focus will also include an aspect of humanitarian disarmament. IFRC, on the other hand, is expected to brief the council on its work in supporting local humanitarian action, from disaster response to health emergencies.

Following this, on 21 October, the PSC will be in the U.S. for a Consultative Meeting with the African Group and the A3, and the 9^th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting with the UN Peacebuilding Commission. On the same day, there will be an activity, ‘Greentree Fireside Consultation.’

On 22 October, the 11^th Informal Joint Seminar between the AUPSC and the UN Security Council will take place. The annual meeting rotates between Addis Ababa and New York, and this year New York will be hosting the meeting. The joint seminar is expected to address five agenda items: review of the AU Peace Support Operations and UN Peace Operations, including the implementation of Resolution 2719; youth, peace and security; AU/UN joint efforts in addressing and countering terrorism in Africa, including the Sahel region; children and armed conflicts; and natural resources management as a factor that exacerbates armed conflicts.

On 23 October at the UN Headquarter , the PSC and the UNSC will hold their 20^th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting. The consultative meeting will address four agenda items: identifying and optimizing future resources and support mechanism for AUSSOM, and the situations in Sudan, South Sudan and Eastern DRC. It is worth recalling that on 17 September 2026, Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Permanent Representative of Cameroon to the AU and the PSC Chairperson for October 2026, together with the Greek Ambassador to the UN and President of the UNSC for October 2026, Aghi Balta, convened the monthly coordination meeting for October 2026 to discuss the planned activities of the two Councils for October 2026 including the 11^th Informal Joint Seminar and the 20^th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting between the two Councils.

That same day, the AU Permanent Mission will also hold an informal engagement with Mr. Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support.

After New York, on 26 August, the PSC will hold an informal engagement with the Chairperson of the AU Commission on early warning. It is worth recalling that, in September 2019, the PSC held its first interactive session with the then Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat. The session focused on the working relationship between the PSC and the Commission under Article 2 of the PSC Protocol, aiming to strengthen coordination on peace and security efforts. The meeting committed to convening such sessions periodically. The last such engagement was held in July 2026.

This will be followed by a book launch, ‘New Wine in Old African Calabashes,’ by the Chairperson of the PSC.

The PSC will then convene a session on 27 October for a briefing by the AU Facilitators on the Situation in Eastern DRC. It is worth recalling that a high-level meeting in Lomé in January 2026 endorsed a revised mediation architecture, including an Independent Joint Secretariat to support the AU Panel of Facilitators. The panel comprises former presidents of Nigeria, Kenya, the Central African Republic, Botswana and Ethiopia. Faure Gnassingbé of Togo serves as AU Mediator. In mid-February, on the sidelines of the 39^th AU Summit, the AU Commission reaffirmed its role in anchoring the Independent Joint Secretariat. On 25 and 26 July 2026, the High-Level Harmonisation Meeting of the Panel of Facilitators and the Independent Joint Secretariat (IJS) for the Eastern DRC Peace Process was held in Gaborone, Botswana, to deliberate on a Six-Month Roadmap and Operational Action Plan for the period July to December 2026. The meeting aimed to advance the AU-led peace process in eastern DRC. According to the AU press release, the roadmap covers workstreams on coordination and strategic advisory support; political analysis; military and security issues; humanitarian access; dialogue with armed groups; regional economic cooperation and natural resources; and civil society, reconciliation, women and youth. It is also meant to strengthen coordination with the Washington and Doha processes. The Panel of Facilitators agreed to present the Roadmap and Operational Plan to the AU Mediator for endorsement, with their next Harmonisation Session to be held before the end of 2026 in Arusha, Tanzania.

On 29 October, there will be the only ministerial-level session of the month, which will be the Annual Consultations between the AU PSC and RECs/RMs on the Luanda Decisions and Plan of Action. The consultative meeting is convened within the framework of Article 16 of the Protocol relating to the establishment of the PSC (PSC Protocol) and the various PSC retreats that highlighted the need for closer working engagement between the PSC and RECs/RMs. The meeting also takes place in line with the decision of the PSC and RECs/RMs, during their inaugural joint consultative meeting held on 24 May 2019, to convene the consultative meeting annually. However, these consultations have not taken place as regularly as envisaged, with the last annual consultative meeting having been held in August 2023. The upcoming consultative meeting is expected to focus on the implementation of the outcomes of the 21^st Extraordinary Summit of the AU on Strengthening Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, held on 30 August 2026 in Luanda, Angola.

Lastly, on 30 August, the PSC will receive a briefing by the Secretary-General of INTERPOL. The session is expected to examine INTERPOL’s support to African law enforcement agencies in tackling transnational organised crime and terrorism, as well as ways to strengthen its partnership with the AU and AFRIPOL. During its 1345^th meeting held on 6 May 2026 on ‘African strategies for combating transnational organised crime in Africa,’ the Council’s meeting featured the Special Representative of INTERPOL to the AU. From the session, the AU Commission, working in close collaboration with AFRIPOL, was tasked with establishing a structured and integrated continental mechanism inspired by the INTERPOL system of notices, coupled with an African ‘continental warrant’ framework. This will provide an opportunity to follow through on this decision.

In addition to the foregoing engagements, the PSC subsidiary body, the Committee of Experts, will meet on 2 October for preparation for the AUPSC/UNSC Annual Joint Consultative Meeting. The footnote also envisages that from 15 to 19 October, the PSC Chairperson and Commissioner PAPS will engage with Diaspora Communities in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta under the theme ‘Diaspora for Peace.’