Staff Writer
Namibia will chair the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) for November 2022, the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation has announced in a media release.
This comes as President Hage Geingob already chairs the SADC Troika.
Namibia became the member of the AU Peace and Security Council on 1 April 2022 for a period of three years ending at the end of March 2025.
The council is the continent’s premier peace and security body and is a ‘’standing decision-making Organ of the AU for the Prevention, Management and Resolution of Conflicts on the Continent. The 2002 Protocol established the PSC as a collective and early warning arrangement that meant to facilitate timely and efficient response to conflict and crisis situations in Africa’’.
Namibia will chair the council under the leadership of President Hage Geingob.
Geingob as the current chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, as already dealing with regional conflict resolution. The organ is charge with maintaining security among SADC members to realise the regional group’s vision of a secure, peaceful and development community of southern Africa.
The Namibian president will have his hands full of putting out fires across Africa for the month of November with the additional African Union Peace and Security Council duties.
‘’As Chair of the AU PSC, Namibia will provide leadership towards the objectives of the PSC, which include the promotion of peace, security and stability on the African continent, as well as the anticipation and prevention of conflict,’’ MIRCO said in the statement.
As part of the responsibilities, Geingob will have to lead the continental body in promoting and implementing peace-building and post conflict reconstruction activities to consolidate peace and prevent the resurgence of violence.
The PSC work for the month of November include the Role of Youth in Peace and Security, a subject very close to Geingob’s heart and also the contribution of the African Peer-Review Mechanism towards conflict resolution.
As part of the role of youth in peace and security, the PSC will hold an open session to engage the African Youth Ambassadors Programmes that will adopt guidelines for the development and implementation of the National Action Plans on Youth, Peace and Security.
One of the country specific session, President Geingob will lead is about the situation in Mozambique, which he is already seized with as the Troika chairperson. This session will consider progress made so far by the SADC Mission on Mozambique (SAMIM).
Other jobs Geingob has to attend to during the month-long chairmanship is an update on the situation in Sudan, as well as South Sudan.
He also will have to spearhead AU preparations for COP27 environmental summit scheduled for Sharm El-Shaik in Egypt towards the end of this month. Geingob is expected to prepare key themes for the AU on the nexus between peace and security and climate change at the Egypt summit.
‘’This session (COP27 preparation) will present an opportunity for the PSC to contribute towards understanding the nexus between climate and security, and provide a solid input to the COP27,’’ the MIRCO statement concludes.
The programme of the president as the chair of SADC Troika is to secure peace and stability in the region continues.
The organ at its meeting held at the side lines of the inauguration of the Lesotho Prime Minister decided on a number of trouble spots in the region that should be addressed.
Among them is the political situation in Mozambique.
In regard this, the SADC Secretariat was tasked with the preparation of an updated report of the SADC Mission in Mozambique.
‘’President Geingob will be undertaking a mission to the Kingdom of Eswatini as the Chairperson of Organ Troika. President Geingob will be meeting with His Majesty King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini,’’ a media statement from the Presidency said.
‘’The Troika leaders also discussed the status of the SADC Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and resolved to hold consultations with authorities in the DRC and to continue strengthening dialogue with the United Nations ahead of discussions around the mandate renewal of MONUSCO.
Tensions flare up at the weekend in the DRC and the latter had expelled the ambassador of Rwanda, repeating its accusations that the country is aiding M23 rebels fighting the country on the eastern border.
