COMMUNIQUÉ

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1349^th meeting held on 21 May 2026 on consideration of the Conclusions of the Fifth Joint Retreat of the AU PSC and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) held from 29 to 30 April 2026, under the theme: “Governance, Early Warning, and Preventive Diplomacy: Strengthening Institutional Synergies for a Peaceful Africa.”:

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling previous Assembly Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec. 758 (XXXIII)] adopted during the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Union held on 9-10 February 2020, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and highlighting Article 6 (3) of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Statute (2020), which stresses the APRM’s contribution to early warning for conflict prevention, in harmony and synergy with the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA);

Referring to Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1274 (2025)] of its 1274^th meeting held on 16 April 2025, which adopted the Conclusions of the Fourth Joint Retreat of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) held from 7 to 8 April 2025 under the theme: “Enhancing the role of the APRM in early warning and in contributing towards conflict prevention and strengthening good governance in accordance with AU normative instruments;”

Committed to the provisions of the AU Constitutive Act, the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, particularly Article 12 on the Continental Early Warning System, and all related AU normative instruments on democracy and good governance; and

Acting Under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Welcomes the Joint Burayu Declaration marking Five Years of Engagement Between PSC of the AU and the APRM (2021–2026), adopted on 30 April 2026, in Burayu, Ethiopia; and

2. Adopts the Conclusions of the Fifth Joint Retreat of the PSC of the AU and the APRM and its recommendations; and reiterates the Council’s commitment to enhancing synergy and collaboration to promote lasting peace, security, stability, and good governance across Africa, in line with the Silencing the Guns Roadmap and AU Agenda 2063;

3. Welcomes the implementation by the APRM of the recommendations of the 1298th meeting of the PSC, regarding the formulation of  a mapping of the peace agreements of the AU and the development of an early warning system dedicated to governance within the APRM and its inclusion in the matrix on the risks and threats to peace and security in Africa, which is being finalized by the relevant structures of the AU;

4. Requests the AU Commission and APRM Continental Secretariat to ensure the implementation of the Conclusions and report back to the next PSC-APRM Joint Retreat;

5. Urges AU Member States to invest more in conflict prevention as one of the good governance tools, integrate APRM assessments into the Continental Early Warning System, domesticate AU frameworks such as the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and establish national structures that translate early warnings into immediate preventive actions;

6. Expresses appreciation to the co-chairs, H.E. Amb. Hirut Zemene, Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the AU and Chairperson of the AU PSC for the month of April 2026, and H.E. Prof Olive Mugenda, Chairperson of the African Peer Review (APR) Panel of Eminent Persons, for co-chairing the Fifth Joint Retreat between the PSC and APRM;

7. Commends the Government of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia for the successful hosting of the Fifth Joint Retreat of the PSC of the AU and the APRM, from 29 to 30 April 2026, in Burayu, Ethiopia;

8. Expresses appreciation to all AU Organs/Institutions, Regional Economic Communities and regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) and partners, for their participation and contributions during the Fifth Joint Retreat;

9. Decides to hold the Sixth PSC-APRM Joint Retreat in 2027 in the Republic of South Africa on a date to be mutually agreed; and

10. Also Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS