Issue No: 09/2025

Conflict & Resilience Monitor – 30 September 2025

The Conflict and Resilience Monitor offers monthly blog-size commentary and analysis on the latest conflict-related trends in Africa.

Photo Credit: UN Photo/ Sylvian Liechti

This month we begin the Monitor with an article from Prof. Tim Murithi, who writes about the High-Level Panel that is reviewing the African Union’s (AU) Governance, Peace and Security Policy Frameworks.  The High-Level Panel, which comprises of four former foreign ministers and is led by Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the former deputy president of South Africa, will produce a report assessing whether the existing AU governance, peace and security frameworks are adequate for addressing new and emerging threats in a rapidly evolving global and continental security landscape. If not, they will make recommendations for adapting the AU frameworks to ensure they are relevant for future challenges.  


This is followed by an article from Dr. Yvan Yenda Ilunga about the current challenges to peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region.  The DRC has a number of ongoing peace initiatives, such as the Washington Agreement and the Doha Process, but it also requires internal political and peace processes, involving armed groups and civil society, such as an inter-Congolese dialogue in order to help establish lasting peace and security in the country.


Lesley Connolly and Imane Karimou write about the relationship between the AU and the United Nations (UN) in their article.  In particular, the article discusses the relationship between the AU and UN in regards to the protection of civilians.  There is a need to elevate the civilian components in peace and security operations, and both the AU and the UN could learn lessons from civilian partners on the ground.


Finally, Judy Njeri Mbugua writes about the upcoming International Relations Society of Kenya (IRSK) Conference taking place in Nairobi this week. The annual conference offers an opportunity for discussions on issues that relate to international relations and diplomacy in Kenya and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region.  This year the conference is being held under the theme Enhancing COMESA’s Strategic Positioning and Resilience in the Evolving Global Order.

Chief Editor: Conflict & Resilience Monitor​
Managing Editor: Conflict & Resilience Monitor
Assistant Editor: Conflict & Resilience Monitor​
Photo Credit: AMISOM Photo / Mukhtar Nuur
Governance

African Union High-Level Review of Governance, Peace and Security Policy Frameworks

  • Tim Murithi

From 29th August to 5th September 2025, the Africa Union (AU) Commission for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (CPAPS) convened a series of activities to formally initiate the High-Level Review of the African Union’s Governance, Peace and Security Policy Frameworks, in Nairobi, Kenya.

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Photo Credit: MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti
Peace and Security

A Difficult Peace: A Slippery Mountain to Climb for the DRC and the Great Lakes Region of Africa

  • Yvan Yenda Ilunga

The path to peace for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region is a path of bold moves and collective accountability. The current political and security situations in the region, and more specifically in the DRC, call for an unorthodox analysis at the four most dominant levels of international politics: international systems, the regional, state, and individual levels. The past failed attempts by the international community and Congolese actors to restore peace in the DRC show that best wishes and superficial resolutions alone are not enough. Agreements must include reinforcement mechanisms, measurable outcomes, and clear accountability measures. Whether supported by the United Nations (UN) Security Council (UNSC), as in the case of UNSC Resolution 2773, or through regional arrangements, such as the recent merger of the Congo peace processes between the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC); peace and security in the DRC and the broader region of the Great Lakes depend on holding political actors accountable to the region, rule of law, state institutions, and the citizens for their actions and decisions. These accountability mechanisms should be made possible by the willingness of citizens and authorities to settle their differences and work for peace.

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Photo Credit: UN Photo/ Evan Schneider
Peace and Security

Reimagining Protection: Why AU-UN Operational Partnerships must Intensify Unarmed Strategies

  • Imane Karimou
  • Lesley Connolly

As debates around the African Union (AU)-United Nations (UN) partnership intensify ahead of the upcoming session of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) and UN Security Council (UNSC) annual consultation, much of the focus of this partnership has become narrowly technical, centring largely on the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2719 on financing AU-led peace support operations. Financing modalities, accountability frameworks, and case-specific missions such as the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) or mediation efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan dominate much of the agenda. While these issues are important, this perspective risks obscuring the deeper rationale for the partnership: to deliver stronger peace and security responses, especially for the civilians most affected by conflict.  

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Photo Credit: IRSK
Peace and Security

The IRSK Conference: A Leading Voice for African-Led Diplomacy

  • Judy Njeri Mbugua

First convened in 2023, the annual International Relations Society of Kenya (IRSK) Conference has established itself as a platform for home-grown discussions on matters of international relations and diplomacy in Kenya and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region. In just three years, the conference has evolved into a leading regional diplomatic gathering, bringing together policy makers, diplomats, scholars and youth to debate and discuss Africa’s role in the evolving global order. 

 

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