Provisional Programme of Work of the Peace and Security Council for July 2026

Provisional Programme of Work of the Peace and Security Council for July 2026

Date | July 2026

In July 2026, the Republic of Uganda is set to chair the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). The Council’s Provisional Programme of Work (PPoW) for the month envisages four substantive sessions alongside an informal consultation on ‘Proposed AU Model on Trigger Mechanism for Early Warning and Early Action’ and an engagement with the AU Commission Chairperson. Of the four substantive sessions, two will focus on country-specific issues while the rest will address thematic issues. Except for one session planned to be held at the ministerial level, the remaining sessions will be held at the ambassadorial level. In addition to the substantive sessions, the PSC subsidiary bodies – the Committee of Experts (CoE), the Military Staff Committee (MSC) and the Sub-Committee on Sanctions – are also expected to meet during the month.

The first activity of the month will be the Third Accra Reflection Forum on Unconstitutional Changes of Government (Accra III process on UCGs), which will be held on 3 and 4 July, in Accra, Ghana. This year’s theme will be held under the theme ‘Youth Inclusion for African Stability.’ Despite the conclusions of the inaugural convening held in March 2022 and the second forum held in March 2024, the policy approach and the trends did not show any improvement. For example, a key aspect of the AU norm proscribing coups, on non-eligibility of coup makers for elections contained in Article 25(4) of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, has in practice been abandoned. In 2025, two coups and one attempted coup took place. It remains uncertain if and how the Accra III Forum will produce an outcome that will change the dynamics both in the policy approach to and the recent trends in unconstitutional changes of government on the continent.

The first substantive session of the month, scheduled for 8 July, will be an update on the Situation in Abyei. In March 2024, the PSC had scheduled an informal consultation and a briefing on the situation in Abyei on 12 March. This session, however, did not happen as planned. It later emerged that in preparation for the session, the PSC sought to obtain Sudan’s views through an informal consultation, given that Sudan remains suspended from participating in AU activities, but both the planned informal consultation and the scheduled PSC session were unable to proceed as intended due to Sudan’s refusal to engage. In response to the diplomatic note inviting its participation in the informal consultation, Sudan’s representative in Addis Ababa declined the invitation and submitted a letter requesting that the PSC refrain from proceeding with its planned engagement on Abyei. Sudan further called for the removal of the Abyei issue from the PSC meeting’s agenda. However, this request is contrary to the PSC Protocol, which clearly states that no country may oppose the inclusion of an agenda.

The ongoing war in Sudan, coupled with persistent instability in South Sudan, has continued to deepen insecurity in the disputed Abyei region while further delaying efforts to resolve its long-standing final political status. Over the past six months, the security situation has deteriorated significantly. During this period, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) recorded 196 security incidents and 58 fatalities—a sharp increase compared with the preceding six months. Reports also indicate that South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and police have maintained ‘unauthorised checkpoints’ and continued occupying civilian infrastructure in southern Abyei, while the presence of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces around Goli and Diffra in northern Abyei remains a major source of concern. The relations between Sudan and South Sudan continue to be shaped by the conflict that erupted in Sudan in 2023. The last time the PSC convened a meeting to discuss the situation in Abyei was in September 2022, at its 1108th session, before the outbreak of the war in Sudan. In addition to following up on the issues identified in the 1108th session, there are new dynamics that the 8 July session needs to address in view of the changing security situation in Sudan and its implications on the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan.

On the same day, there will be an informal consultation on the ‘Proposed AU Model on Trigger Mechanism for Early Warning and Early Action.’ The proposed AU Model is a key institutional development designed to bridge the gap between receiving early warning about a conflict and timely executing preventive action. It is worth recalling that the call for the establishment of a ‘trigger mechanism and indicators’ was first made during the Cairo Retreat of the PSC held in October 2018, to facilitate the role of the PSC in assessing whether a given situation calls for an early action by the Council. This was further reiterated in the Dar es Salaam Declaration, adopted on 25 May 2024 at the High-Level Colloquium in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the PSC. The development of the trigger is premised on the recognition that it is only when the risks of conflict have to meet a certain threshold, including an indication that national processes are unable or unwilling to address them, and thereby requiring the action of the AU.

On 21 July, Council will convene its only ministerial-level meeting on the theme ‘Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa.’ The session will build on Council’s March 2025 1266th session on ‘Deradicalisation as a Leverage for the Fight against Violent Extremism in Africa.’ In the session, the Council, among other decisions, called for the need to incorporate the fight against radicalisation and extremist ideologies into the AU action plan on the prevention and fight against terrorism and violent extremism. It is worth recalling that PSC’s 1111th meeting held in October 2022 marked a notable shift in the approach, expanding the instruments in the toolbox of responses by emphasising the importance of dialogue and negotiation as means to encourage the voluntary surrender, disengagement and rehabilitation of members of terrorist groups. The session also adopted several significant decisions, including requesting the AU Commission to develop a compendium of African national reconciliation best practices. In addition to building and following up on the outcome of these earlier sessions, the ministerial session is expected to review recent developments and trends both in conflicts involving terrorist groups on the continent and the state of policy action and response to address these conflicts, having regard to the specificities of how the threat that terrorism and violent extremism manifests itself in various parts of the continent.

Following this, on 27 July, the PSC will get an ‘Update on the Political Transition in Burkina Faso and Niger.’ This will be the third time that the Council considers the situation in countries undergoing political transitions due to unconstitutional changes of government as one substantive agenda item.

The last substantive session of the month will be held on 28 July to consider the bi-annual Report of the AU Commission on Elections in Africa covering the Period of January – June 2026. As per the PSC’s decision from its 424th session in March 2014, which mandates periodic updates on African electoral developments, the Chairperson presents a mid-year elections report. The previous update was delivered during the 1327th PSC session on 26 January 2026, and covered electoral activities from July to December 2025, and the Outlook for 2026. Tomorrow’s briefing will similarly provide accounts of elections conducted from January to June 2026 – covering elections held in Benin, Uganda, Congo, Djibouti, Cape Verde, Guinea and Ethiopia – while also outlining the electoral calendar for the second half of 2026.

The last activity of the PSC will be an ‘Engagement with the AU Commission Chairperson.’ It is to be recalled that in September 2019, the PSC held, for the first time, an interactive session with the then Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on the working relationship between the PSC and the Commission in the context of Article 2 of the PSC Protocol within the spirit of enhancing coordination on peace and security efforts. During that meeting, there was a commitment for convening it periodically.

In addition to the substantive sessions, the PSC subsidiary bodies will also meet during the month. On 14 July, the Committee of Experts (CoE) will meet to prepare for the PSC Ministerial Meeting on ‘Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa.’ In addition, the PSC Sub-Committee on Sanctions will also meet on 15 July for an ‘Engagement on political and socio-economic developments on preventive measures against UCG.’ It is to be recalled that the inaugural session of the Committee was held on 12 June 2024.

The Military Staff Committee (MSC), on the other hand, will have their first engagement of the year on 24 July, on an ‘Update on the CLB operations.’

The footnote of the PPoW also provides for the PSC Chairperson’s participation in a Policy Conference on ‘Peace, Security and Development Nexus,’ to be held in Mombasa, Kenya, from 10 to 13 July. On 24 July, the PSC Chairperson will also have an engagement with the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. Lastly, it is expected that the Chairpersons of the PSC for the months of May and June 2026 will present communications on the activities undertaken by the Council during their respective terms as Chair of the PSC.