The Council last convened on this subject during its 1206^th session on 3 April 2024 during which the Council reiterated previous decisions it has made directing the AU Commission to provide comprehensive policy elaboration of hate speech and hate crimes, and compile adequate data to effectively deter, prevent and combat them. Other decisions from that session included a call for the Panel of the Wise to undertake a review of the status of implementation of the recommendations contained in the Report of the OAU International Panel of Eminent Personalities on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide and surrounding events, establishing effective accountability mechanisms, strengthening early warning systems, implementing preventive measures through education and public awareness, and addressing the role of digital spaces in exacerbating hate crimes.

Previous sessions have repeatedly called for the development of a comprehensive AU policy framework on hate speech and hate crimes, backed by data collection and preventive measures. Additionally, the establishment of an AU Human Rights Memorial to honor victims of atrocities, including the genocide against the Tutsi, apartheid, Ethiopia’s Red Terror, colonial oppression, and the transatlantic slave trade, remains an unfinished agenda. The AU’s Panel of the Wise has also yet to present the findings of its review on the status of recommendations from the OAU’s International Panel of Eminent Personalities.

Yet, the commemoration is not just about memory and honoring the lives of victims and survivors. Given its link to the commitment of the PSC protocol for respect for the sanctity of human life and IHL, it is of direct relevance for various conflict settings on the continent. As Adama Dieng, the AU Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide, noted during an address at the International Conference on Genocide Prevention in Kigali, ‘[t]he Constitutive Act of the African Union makes prevention a core part of its mission, yet we continue to witness rampant and widespread violations that challenge this commitment. The ongoing carnage in Sudan is a reminder of the painful cost inflicted on civilians when we fail to gather courage to trigger institutions and legal frameworks we painstakingly created to precisely address challenges of this nature.’ 

It came as no surprise that in heeding the lessons from that dark history Dieng issued a statement issued on 29 October 2024, albeit several months following his appointment, expressing deep concerns over escalating violence, including mass killings, summary executions, abductions, and sexual violence in the context of the war in Sudan, warning that the full scale of atrocities remains obscured due to a telecommunications blackout. As the second anniversary of the devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) approaches on 15 April, a significant development in recognition of the widespread human rights violations has been the U.S. government’s determination that the RSF has committed acts of genocide. This makes it the second time in two decades that such determination of the occurrence of genocide was made in relation to Sudan. There are concerns of other forms of atrocities being perpetrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The UN Human Rights Council in February 2025 adopted a resolution establishing a fact-finding mission on the Human Rights Situation in Eastern DRC, expressing condemning in ‘the strongest terms’ the persistence violations and abuses, ‘in particular conflict-related sexual violence and gender-based violence, summary executions, abductions, enforced disappearances, targeted attacks against human rights defenders, journalists, other civil society actors and peacekeepers, and the bombing of sites for displaced persons, hospitals and schools.’ Incidents of mass massacre in the context of conflicts involving terrorist groups in the Sahel show that issues of atrocities and violations of IHL are not limited to Sudan and Eastern DRC, underscoring the importance of this session and the role of the AU Special Envoy.

Following his official assumption of duty in June 2024, Dieng outlined his main task to identify risk indicators of the ideology of hate, genocide, and other mass atrocities; ensure timely interventions; enhance early warning mechanisms; pay more attention to early warning signs; prevent escalation; effectively regulate and closely monitor the misuse of media platforms and encourage Member States to adopt necessary policies that would monitor the media and promote professionalism, ethics and factual reporting; prevent the exploitation and propagation of extremist messages that incite hate crimes and genocide; and regularly brief the AUC Chairperson and AU Organs, particularly the PSC. In recent months, the Special Envoy has undertaken a series of engagements with various stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and South Sudan.

It would therefore be of interest for members of the PSC to hear from Dieng on his assessment of the risks, on the steps that are needed to avert these risks or arrest the occurrence of mass atrocities in conflict settings where these are unfolding and to enhance prevention strategies to mass atrocities pursuant to Article 7 of the PSC Protocol. Equally important is ensuring that early warnings are effectively translated into early responses. Moreover, it is essential to establish an inclusive system of governance that represents all sectors of society and their interests.

It is to be recalled that the Council, at its 1147^th session, called for the establishment of an African Centre for the Study of Genocide. Notable progress in this regard has been the announcement of the establishment of the African Center for Genocide Prevention (ACGP) as a regional institution at the International Conference on Genocide Prevention. The ACGP, headquartered in Rwanda, will focus on developing early warning systems to monitor and prevent genocidal threats, conducting research on prevention strategies and lessons learned, training policymakers to effectively combat genocide, and promoting grassroots reconciliation programs. Only second to the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre on the continent with an explicit focus on genocide, the ACGP is expected to serve as a hub for research, education, and advocacy and foster dialogue among governments, civil society, researchers, and regional organisations.

The expected outcome of the session is a communiqué. The PSC may reiterate concern over the persistent spread of hate ideologies and genocidal rhetoric in Africa. It may welcome the progress being made around the establishment of the ACGP and the AU human rights memorial. The council may urge AU member states to sign, ratify, and implement the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It may encourage formal and informal education policies that foster social cohesion and the culture of human rights protection. The PSC may also call for enhanced collaboration with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs) to address the root causes of hate crimes and violent conflicts. The PSC may also welcome the appointment of the AU Special Envoy and may invite him to support the PSC in the implementation of its mandate under Articles 4(c) & (j) and 7 (1)(a) & (e), while expressing support for the initiatives he has taken since assuming office. It may also call on AU member states to investigate and prosecute individuals in their jurisdiction suspected of engaging in the perpetration of genocide, crimes against humanity and hate crimes and to put in place effective legislation for dealing with hate speech. It may also call on the AU to expedite the construction of the AU Human Rights Memorial.