Liberia will take over from Morocco the role of being the monthly chairperson of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of October. The provisional program of work for October, prepared under Liberia, includes six sessions with substantive agenda, a preparatory session, an informal joint seminar and the 13th annual consultative meeting between the PSC and the United Nations (UN) Security Council (UNSC). No open session is scheduled for this month.

On 7 October the PSC will convene a preparatory session focusing on two joint annual consultative meetings. The first concerns the 12th annual consultative meeting between the PSC and the European Union (EU) Political and Security Committee, the 4th informal joint seminar, and their joint planned filed visit. These are all expected to take place in November. The other focus of the preparatory meeting is the 13th annual consultative meeting of the PSC and the UNSC and the 4th informal joint seminar. Hosted by the PSC, the informal seminar and the consultative meeting are scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa on 23rd and 24th October respectively.

The second session of the month taking place on 8 October is expected to focus on consideration of the report of the AU Commission Chairperson on Post‐Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD). It is to be recalled that consideration of this report was initially scheduled for 29 May 2019. The session is expected to take stock of the state of operationalization of the PCRD Policy as well as its institutional structures. It will also present the activities undertaken in supporting peacebuilding in countries in transition and regional stabilization efforts.

On 10 October, the PSC is expected to receive a briefing from Smail Chergui, the Commissioner for Peace and Security, and Jean‐Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under Secretary‐General for Peace Operation, on their joint mission to the Central African Republic and Sudan, expected to take place during 6‐9 October 2019.

The next session is on 15 October covering two agenda items. The first is consideration of the report of the Chairperson on South Sudan. After the initial deadline of 12 May 2019 for the formation of the government of national unity was unmet, a decision was taken to extend this timeline to 12 November 2019. This session presents an opportunity for the PSC to review the progress being made in the implementation of the peace agreement and the prospects for the formation of the government of national unity in the light of the first face to face meeting between President Salva Kiir and the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement‐In Opposition (SPLM‐IO) Riak Machar on 9 September 2019. The second agenda item of the session focuses on follow up on the preparation for the 4th informal seminar and the 13th annual consultative meeting between the PSC and the UNSC.

On 17 October the PSC is scheduled to hold a session commemorating the 19th anniversary of UNSC Resolution 1325. It is one of the occasions for the PSC to review the women, peace and security thematic agenda but within the framework of Resolution 1325. On 21 October, the provisional program of work envisages that the PSC will have a session to consider the situation in Darfur and the activities of UNAMID. Apart from reviewing recent developments, this is an opportunity for the PSC to consider how the AU can help the plan of the new government of Sudan under Prime Minister Abdela Hamdok including the announcement he made on 6 September on the formation of a committee tasked with the responsibility of laying down the ground work for the constitution of a Peace Commission.

The 4th informal joint seminar of the PSC and the UNSC is scheduled to take place on 23 October. This is expected to address three thematic issues including financing of peace and security in Africa and silencing of the guns. The following day on 24 October, the PSC and the members of the UNSC are expected to hold their 13thannual consultative meeting. The focus of the consultative meeting would be country situations including Libya and South Sudan.

On 29 October, the PSC is scheduled to have the last session of the month. The agenda of the session is to consider the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on Counter‐terrorism in Africa.

In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisions in footnotes meetings of the Committee of Experts and of the Military Staff Committee. Also, in footnotes is a briefing on the situation in Sudan that has yet to be confirmed.