Egypt will assume the presidency of the African Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC) in October, Mohamed Gad, Egypt's ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the AU, announced on Monday. The Egyptian presidency will begin on October 1, 2024, and will focus on strengthening the role of the PSC as a body dedicated to maintaining peace, security, and stability on the continent. "Egypt's upcoming presidency comes within a complex regional and international context marked by growing security challenges, requiring concerted efforts and transparent consultation on ways to address them through a comprehensive approach to establish stability and security in the African continent and achieve the goals of the African Union's Agenda 2063," said Gad. The ambassador also noted that Egypt will organise a number of events during its presidency, including a visit by the PSC to Cairo for an interactive session with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration on issues of peace and security in Africa, consultations with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, and a session of the PSC at the level of permanent representatives on the link between peace, security and development, in line with President El-Sisi's leadership in the field of post-conflict reconstruction and development. The program also includes a visit to the Egyptian Centre for Peacekeeping Training, under the Ministry of Interior. The PSC under the Egyptian presidency will also make a visit to Port Sudan, the first since the eruption of the Sudanese crisis on 15 April 2023. This reflects Egypt's commitment to strengthening solidarity with the Sudanese people, supporting Sudanese state institutions, and informing the PSC and the African Union about the situation on the ground. The aim is to encourage the PSC to take responsibility for driving efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Gad explained that the Egyptian presidency program will include holding the annual consultations between the African Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council, the African Tripartite on the Security Council, and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission. A joint session between the PSC and the Sub-Committee of Permanent Representatives for General Supervision, Coordination of Budget, Finance and Administrative Affairs – chaired by Egypt – will be held to study the financing of African peace operations. Additionally, a session will be held on developments in Somalia and post-transition arrangements for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), with the aim of supporting Somali state institutions in countering terrorism and building sustainable peace. The permanent representative further announced that other sessions will be held on combating terrorism in Africa, the humanitarian situation on the continent, women, peace, and security, and climate change and peace and security. It is worth noting that Egypt was unanimously elected to the two-year seat on the PSC during the African Union Executive Council meetings in February 2024, representing the North African region. This reflects the appreciation and trust of the sister states of the North African region, as well as all African countries, in Egypt's efforts and commitment to promoting peace, security, and stability in Africa.
