Provisional Programme of Work of the Peace and Security Council for August 2025

Date | August 2025

In August, the Republic of Algeria will assume the chairship of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). The Provisional Programme of Work (PPoW) for the month outlines eight substantive sessions covering nine agenda items and a field mission to South Sudan. All sessions are scheduled to take place at the ambassadorial level. Only two of the nine agenda items will focus on country-specific situations, while the other seven will address thematic issues and PSC’s meetings with relevant bodies.

The first session of the month, scheduled for 4 August, is set to consider the evolving situation in Sudan. This session follows a sequence of high-level engagements by the PSC, the most recent being its 1292^nd meeting on 29 July 2025, which came in direct response to the 26 July 2025 announcement by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of the establishment of a parallel civilian administration, referred as the Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasis) in areas under its control. The PSC, during this emergency ‘meeting’ held via email exchange, strongly condemned and rejected the formation of this so-called ‘parallel government,’ affirming the AU’s unwavering commitment to the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Sudan. The Council emphasised that the AU recognises ‘only the Transitional Sovereignty Council and the recently formed civilian transitional government’ until a consensual arrangement is reached that aligns with the aspirations of the Sudanese people. These pronouncements came just months after the Council’s 1261^st Summit-level session held on 14 February 2025, on the margins of the 38^th AU Summit, which had attracted the participation of high-level figures including AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, IGAD Chair Djibouti (represented by its Foreign Minister), UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and a representative from the League of Arab States. Despite the elevated diplomatic engagement at the February summit, the meeting failed to produce substantive decisions. Its outcome communiqué simply reiterated prior calls, such as a humanitarian truce, that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF disregarded. Since February, the conflict in Sudan has evolved further. The RSF’s consolidation of control in parts of the west and south, alongside its establishment of a competing political authority, has intensified fears of territorial fragmentation of Sudan along the lines of what is playing out in Libya. Meanwhile, the SAF has maintained its dominance in the north and east, bolstering its presence in strategic areas, while trying to consolidate the diplomatic edge it has over the RSF in regional and international forums.

Despite the persistence of the fragmentation of the diplomatic space and lack of effective diplomatic engagement in recent months, efforts are underway for reinvigorating diplomacy. Egypt has increased bilateral engagements focused on containing instability along the Sudan-Libya-Egypt border, triggered by incidents involving the RSF. On the international front, before its postponement the U.S. was set to convene a peace talk that set to start on 29 July in Washington with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt to revive the ‘Quad’ initiative, emphasising dialogue over military action. Simultaneously, the U.N. is preparing mediation efforts led by envoy Ramtane Lamamra, coordinating with the AU in Addis Ababa and focusing on talks for civilian protection, aiming to bring the Sudanese parties into proximity negotiations as soon as possible. It is therefore expected that the PSC will discuss these recent developments and follow up on its previous decisions, such as investigations into human rights violations, a plan for civilian protection, and identifying external actors involved in supplying arms and financial support, fueling the fire of the war in Sudan.

On 6 August, the second substantive session will assess the role of ad hoc governance, peace, and security mechanisms in supporting the PSC’s mandate. This will be the first time that PSC will be assessing the effectiveness of ad hoc mechanisms in the implementation of its mandates. The Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the PSC authorises the PSC to establish subsidiary bodies as needed. Specifically, Article 8(5) empowers the PSC to create such bodies, including ad hoc committees, as it deems necessary to undertake tasks such as mediation, conciliation, or fact-finding enquiries. In operational practice, the PSC exercises this mandate through formal communiqués and AU Assembly decisions, which authorise or request the establishment of these mechanisms in the form of ad hoc committees or high-level panels. The session is expected to reflect on how such mechanisms contribute to conflict prevention, mediation, and post-conflict reconstruction. Against the backdrop of increasingly complex crises across the continent, the session provides a timely opportunity to assess the lessons learned from the operation of such mechanisms in reviewing the African Peace and Security Architecture, for making it fit for the evolving and complex security situation and geopolitical context of the continent. The Council is anticipated to examine how these bodies support early warning, strategic mediation, and inclusive dialogue, while also identifying the challenges facing them and ways of adapting them to the fundamentally changing realities of Africa and the world.

On 8 August, the PSC will convene its session dedicated to consultations with the AGA-APSA Platform and the PRC Sub-Committee on Human Rights. During the 1098^th session in August 2022, an inaugural consultation was held between the PSC and the AGA-APSA Platform, which decided to institutionalise and regularise this engagement as an annual event. A similar decision was taken at the 1095^th session of the PSC, which was held for consultation with the PRC Sub-Committee on Human Rights, Democracy and Governance, affirming that these joint engagements should also be held annually. In August 2023, during its 1167^th session, the PSC brought together both mechanisms, the AGA-APSA Platform and the PRC Sub-Committee, for a joint consultation, recognising their shared mandate in promoting governance, democratisation, and constitutionalism. Although these consultations were intended to be held annually, no session took place in 2024. The upcoming consultation is expected to reinvigorate and deepen collaboration among PSC members, the PRC Sub-Committee, and the AGA-APSA Platform. It will build on past engagements, evaluate progress in fulfilling joint commitments, and explore innovative approaches to strengthen coordination in promoting the AU’s shared values.

Between its scheduled sessions, the PSC will conduct a field mission to South Sudan from 10 to 12 August. The visit comes against the backdrop of the escalating political and security crisis that threatens to unravel the hard-won gains of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). During its 1283^rd session, the PSC voiced deep concern over the deteriorating situation, warning of the risk of a full-scale war due to serious ceasefire violations, the detention of political figures, and a growing erosion of trust among the signatories to the agreement. The field mission will provide the PSC with an opportunity to directly assess the situation on the ground, engage with key stakeholders, including the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU), civil society actors, and regional partners and reinforce its calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the unconditional release of political detainees, and the full implementation of the R-ARCSS.

On 13 August, the PSC will convene the only open session of the month to discuss the theme ‘Education in Conflict Situations.’ The last time the Council considered this particular theme was in August 2024 during its 1229^th meeting, in which it decided to ‘regularise the Open Session as an annual event of the Council.’ It is expected to build on and follow up on its previous commitments which included, but not limited to, the need for establishing a quality control mechanism to monitor and evaluate inclusive education initiatives to ensure effectiveness and accountability; the need for improving data collection and evidence-based policymaking, to effectively address the unique challenges facing education in conflict situations; and the proposal of mainstreaming inclusive education as an integral component of post-conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD) in countries emerging from conflict situations. The session is also expected to advance its discussions from the recent PSC sessions held in July 2025 on the humanitarian situation in Africa and rehabilitation and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed conflicts, as these naturally extend to education. This meeting also comes just a few months before the AU Education Summit 2025 – a conference aimed at rallying the AU member states, schools and educators from the African continent behind the AU strategic objective that seeks to address the educational challenges the African continent faces.

On 15 August, the PSC will convene to consider two agenda items, beginning with a discussion on the Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the PSC Sub-Committee on Counter-Terrorism. Although the Sub-Committee has long been part of the PSC’s structure, it has never been operationalised since its establishment. During its 1182^nd meeting in October 2023, the PSC underscored the importance of fully activating and operationalising the Sub-Committee. In preparation for the Ambassadorial-level session, the Committee of Experts is scheduled to meet tomorrow (1 August) to deliberate on the ToRs.

The second part of the session will be dedicated to the consideration and adoption of the PSC Field Mission Report on South Sudan. Building on the objectives of the field visit and the key findings outlined in the report, the Council is expected to reflect on the current state of the escalating political and security situation. The session will provide an opportunity to assess the impact of recent developments and guide the PSC’s next steps in supporting the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), as well as to address and resolve the ongoing violence in South Sudan.

On 25 August, the PSC will hold its second annual consultative meeting with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security. This meeting, scheduled to take place virtually, builds on the commitment made during the inaugural session held on 30 August 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana, where both parties agreed to institutionalise annual consultations alternating between Addis Ababa and Gaborone. Rooted in Article 16 of the PSC Protocol and the 2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the AU Commission and RECs/RMs, the meeting reflects efforts to strengthen coordination and collaboration in promoting peace and security in the region. The consultative session is expected to assess progress made since the inaugural meeting, particularly in light of developments in eastern DRC and in terms of enhancing joint efforts in resource mobilisation for peace operations.

On 27 August, the PSC will convene for a briefing on the early warning system and its role in mapping risks and threats across Africa. The session will feature contributions from key AU institutions, including the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), the AU Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), and the AU Counterterrorism Centre (AUCTC). This session is expected to provide a comprehensive analysis of political, security, and socio-economic dynamics shaping existing and emerging conflict and security challenges on the continent, building on the AU’s commitment to preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention as outlined in the PSC Protocol and the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). The session follows related PSC engagements, including most recently the 1247^th session held on 27 November 2024, where CISSA, AUCTC, and AFRIPOL briefed the PSC on the Continental Early Warning and Security Outlook. During that session, the PSC emphasized the need for enhanced collaboration and information sharing among Member States and international partners to counter the exploitation of digital platforms by terrorist and extremist groups and tasked the AUCTC, CISSA, AFRIPOL, and other specialized AU agencies to collaborate with Member States toward establishing a joint Cybersecurity Task Force to prevent the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and emerging technologies for radicalization, recruitment, training, and funding by terrorist groups. Furthermore, the 1251^st PSC session on 17 December 2024 underscored the need for greater visibility and prominence of CEWS within the proposed restructuring of the Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) Department, signalling a push for institutional reforms to enhance CEWS’s operational efficiency. Additionally, the 4^th Joint Consultative Meeting between the PSC and APRM on 7–8 April 2025 highlighted the importance of leveraging APRM’s governance-focused peer review reports to enhance early warning strategies, building on prior pronouncements which emphasised closer coordination between APRM and PSC to address structural vulnerabilities and governance deficits that fuel conflicts. The upcoming session offers an opportunity to explore how early warning analysis would be holistic by going beyond the recent intelligence and security-focused analysis from CISSA, AFRIPOL, and AUCTC and including APRM’s governance-centred and CEWS all-encompassing analyses. Discussions may also address challenges such as Member States’ denialism of early warning reports, as noted in previous sessions, and the need for enhanced coordination with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to tackle transnational threats like terrorism, cybercrime, and human trafficking.

The last meeting of the Council will be held on 29 August, which will be a briefing by the African Members to the UN Security Council. Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia, serving as non-permanent members for the 2024 – 2025 term are expected to brief the UNSC on several critical peace and security issues on the continent which is expected to include the security situation in eastern DRC, Sudan’s ongoing civil war and humanitarian crisis, South Sudan’s political and security developments, push for UNSC reform and African representation, regional Counter-terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel and cooperation with regional organizations. This meeting comes after the PSC recently adopted the ‘Manual on the Modalities for Enhancing Coordination Between the PSC and the African Members of the United Nations Security Council (A3)’ at its 1289^th meeting of 24 July 2025. From the manual, it highlights that, to bolster A3’s influence and impact in the UNSC, the A3 shall consult with relevant stakeholders, including the Non-Aligned Movement and all strategic partners of the AU, on peace and security issues of interest to Africa. In this context, the A3 is tasked with mobilising greater political support in championing the African positions and interests on peace and security issues on the agenda of the UNSC. This being in alignment with the language and commitments from the Conclusions of the 11^th Oran Process held in December 2024 in which, it was agreed that there is an imperative to have a synchronization of the meetings of the PSC and those of the UNSC on matters relating to peace, security and stability in Africa, which come under the joint mandate of the two Councils, to ensure proper guidance to the A3 Plus. In addition, it was underscored that there is a need for ensuring a continued push for the A3 to take effective pen-holders or co-pen-holding on African files on the UNSC Agenda. Therefore, the meeting is expected to provide updates on modalities for strengthening coordination between the PSC and A3 based on the experience of the current A3 members and recent trends in the UNSC. The session may also further explore operationalising the manual’s provisions, strategising around UNSC reform efforts, and advancing Africa’s broader multilateral objectives.