In September, the Republic of Cameroon will assume the role of Chair of the Peace and Security Council for the month. The month’s Provisional Programme of Work (PPoW) includes five substantive PSC sessions and two field missions. Four substantive sessions will occur on thematic issues while one substantive session and two field missions will address country-specific situations. In addition to its field mission, members of the Council will partake in several bilateral and multilateral engagements for the month, most notably the 79^th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) where the major highlight is the Summit of the Future.

The first session of the month, scheduled for 2 September, will focus on the Protection of Journalists in Conflict Situations in Africa. This session marks the Council’s inaugural endeavour to address the protection of journalists in conflict situations. The session is prompted by the rising number of journalists trapped in war which is exemplified in the case of the war in Sudan where reports on the targeting and attacks on journalists by both of the conflict actors are ostensible. The session is an opportune moment for the Council to address the needs of journalists in the context of conflict.

During the second week of September, the Council will undertake a field mission to the Central Africa Republic (CAR) between 9-11 September. The field mission will commemorate African Amnesty Month, which has taken place every September since 2017 as part of AU’s flagship project on Silencing the Guns. During the last commemoration, the Council undertook a field mission to Maputo, Mozambique which focused on lessons learned from Mozambique on Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR). In addition to the commemoration of Amnesty Month, the Council will also undertake consultations with the CAR government as a follow-up to its recent session held in July where the Council deliberated on the status of the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in CAR (PAPR-CAR) and the preparation for local elections. It may be beneficial for the Council to use this engagement as an opportunity to identify dedicated support to the CAR for bridging the gap and facilitating the minimum consensus necessary for an inclusive and participatory electoral process for local elections.

Upon completing a field mission to the Central African Republic (CAR), the Council will conduct another field visit to Gabon. During this visit, the Council will engage with the transitional government to discuss the process of returning to constitutional order. This session is particularly important as it coincides with the one-year anniversary of the military coup in Gabon on August 30, 2023. The transitional government has taken some measures to facilitate a return to constitutional order, such as launching the National Dialogue process in April 2024 and establishing a transitional timeline. Additionally, the Council will consult with the regional decision-making body of ECCAS.  This is similar to the consultation the PSC held in April with the ECOWAS Council.

On 16 September Civil-Military Relations and Conflict Management in Africa. The PSC over the past two years has consistently scheduled a session on civil-military relations as a factor for peace and security in Africa’ in 2022 and a session on Code of Conduct on the Civil-Military-Relations in Africa at the Military Staff Committee in 2023, although the session in the end did not materialise despite having been scheduled. The session will provide an opportunity for the Council to have dedicated attention to this crucial matter.

On 18 September, the PSC will host an open ambassadorial-level session on ‘Disaster Management in Africa: Nexus between Climate Change, Peace, and Security in Africa’. This session comes at a time when African member states are increasingly engaged in discussions about the impact of climate change and the rising number of disasters on the continent over the past decade. There has been a noticeable increase in natural disasters across Africa, ranging from the devastating impact of Storm Daniel in Libya, which resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 civilians, to the consistent occurrence of cyclones in southern Africa, particularly Mozambique, as well as an increasing number of floods in East Africa. These events highlight the growing concern around natural disasters in Africa. It is crucial for the Council to address the root causes and find sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by natural disasters. The Council has not yet requested the identification of mitigation strategies, which is an essential step towards addressing this issue. During the PSC’s 1043rd session on ‘Addressing Disaster Management Issues in Africa: Challenges and Perspectives for Human Security’, concrete measures were not taken to address the impact of natural disasters on human security. Considering the increasing number of natural disasters since the last session, it is vital for the Council to use this session as an opportunity to identify mitigation measures that member states can take to protect their citizens in the face of the growing likelihood of natural disasters.

On the margins of the Summit of the Futures, on 25 September, the PSC will have a session on new security threats in Africa and the future of the PSC at the ministerial level, as part of the anniversary of the PSC @20. This will take forward the issues identified during the summit level 20^th anniversary of the PSC held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on 25 May and build on the Dar es Salaam Declaration on the anniversary.

As the last session of the month, the PSC will receive an update on the situation in South Sudan on 30 September. Over this year, the PSC has engaged the situation in South Sudan by undertaking a field mission and holding its 1219^th session to consider the adoption of the Report of its field mission to South Sudan. Key elements that may be relevant for the PSC to consider during its session include the PSC’s request for the AUC Chair to support South Sudan in Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) and Security Sector Reform (SSR); the training deployment of Necessary United Force (NUF) and the Councils request for the AUC to provide technical support and coordinate with relevant actors in mobilising technical and financial assistance as South Sudan as it prepares for its upcoming elections.

In addition to the substantive sessions and activities of the PSC, the program of work for the month also encompasses the meetings of the PSC subsidiary bodies. The Committee of Experts (CoE) is expected to continue their preparatory meeting on the 18th Annual Joint Consultation between the PSC and UNSC, which has been consecutively tabled on the PSC agenda since July. The Military Staff Committee will also convene on 5 September to engage with the African Peace Support Trainers Association.