Egypt Assumes AU Peace and Security Council Leadership, Vows to Prioritize Sudan and Somalia
CAIRO — Egypt on Sunday took over the rotating monthly leadership of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, pledging to prioritize efforts to address the conflicts in Sudan and Somalia.
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The one-month presidency, which began Feb. 1, comes as the continent confronts overlapping crises, including armed violence, fragile political transitions, food insecurity and climate-related pressures, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs.
Egypt said it will open its tenure with informal consultations at the ministerial level with Sudan’s foreign minister, followed by two separate ministerial sessions dedicated to developments in Sudan and Somalia — two of the most acute security flashpoints in Africa. Cairo framed the program as part of a broader push to bolster the council’s effectiveness through an approach that links peace, security and governance, aligning with the African Union’s long-term development framework, Agenda 2063.
Egyptian representatives stressed that their leadership will adhere to the AU Constitutive Act, emphasizing respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity, protection of national institutions, and non-interference in member states’ internal affairs — principles that have frequently shaped deliberations within the Peace and Security Council.
The presidency’s agenda extends beyond country files to themes that AU diplomats say increasingly drive instability across the continent. Egypt plans sessions examining the security implications of climate change, the impact of artificial intelligence on peace and security, and the persistent challenges facing political transitions. Cairo will also steer discussions on post-conflict reconstruction and development, a portfolio it currently chairs within the AU system.
In addition to its policy docket, Egypt said it will present the Peace and Security Council’s annual activity report at the upcoming AU summit of heads of state and government. The presidency also intends to organize field visits and broaden consultations with regional economic communities and international partners, steps aimed at improving coordination on conflict prevention, crisis response and recovery.
What Egypt plans this month:
- Informal ministerial consultations with Sudan’s foreign minister, followed by dedicated ministerial sessions on Sudan and Somalia.
- Thematic debates on climate-security risks, the peace and security implications of artificial intelligence, and the strains of political transitions.
- Leadership of talks on post-conflict reconstruction and development, building on Egypt’s current AU role in that portfolio.
- Presentation of the council’s annual activity report to the AU summit.
- Field missions and outreach to regional and international partners to sharpen coordination across Africa’s peace and security architecture.
While the Peace and Security Council’s chair rotates monthly, the agenda-setting power of the presidency can shape how the bloc prioritizes crises and coordinates with national, regional and international actors. Egypt’s emphasis on Sudan and Somalia places two complex conflicts at the center of the AU’s security calendar in February, alongside a slate of cross-cutting risks that AU officials increasingly view as conflict multipliers.
The presidency’s declared focus on sovereignty, institutions and non-interference — coupled with plans to engage directly with stakeholders and reinforce post-conflict recovery — suggests an effort to balance immediate crisis management with longer-term stabilization and governance goals under Agenda 2063.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
