Ambassador Bankole Sounds the Alarm – and a Path Forward – in Opening Remarks to the PSC–PAP Consultative Meeting

As delegates settled into the Idriss Ndele Moussa Plenary Hall for the first joint Peace and Security Council (PSC)–Pan‑African Parliament (PAP) interface in more than a decade, the African Union’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, wasted no time in spelling out the gravity of Africa’s security landscape — and the urgency of collective action.

“A Continent Awash with Conflict”

Ambassador Bankole opened with a stark assessment: “Our continent is awash with conflict.” From unrelenting terrorism in the Sahel and the Horn, to the wave of unconstitutional changes of government and climate‑induced insecurity, every AU region is wrestling with “man‑made and natural threats that hit us in the face every day.” 

He cautioned that external interference has reached unprecedented levels. Great‑power rivalries, shrinking aid envelopes and an emerging “trade‑war mentality” are eroding the resources that once underpinned Africa’s peace architecture .

Conflict Hotspots in Sharp Focus

Turning to the continent’s most volatile theatres, Ambassador Bankole painted a tour‑d’horizon that began with Sudan, which he described as “the most worrisome conflict in the world today.” The fighting between the SAF and RSF has driven some twelve million people from their homes, threatens outright state collapse, and demands an all‑out push for cease‑fire and inclusive political talks. He then shifted east to Somalia, where the African Union Transition Mission (ATMIS) is due to hand over to a leaner stabilisation force even as funds for the new operation barely cover a few months of deployment—an “urgent cash‑flow crisis,” he warned, that could undo hard‑won security gains. In neighbouring South Sudan, the Commissioner lamented an “endless transition of transitions”: fragile power‑sharing deals, sporadic violence and an ever‑receding election calendar underscore the need for genuine reconciliation rather than tactical elite bargains.

Moving to Central Africa, Bankole welcomed the June 2025 Rwanda–DRC détente—brokered with African and international partners—as a window of opportunity to cool tensions in the Great Lakes, but cautioned that sustained mediation and troop discipline on both sides remain essential. Finally, he zeroed in on the Sahel, now the epicentre of global terrorism, where Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are still under military juntas and extremist violence seeps south‑ward. Restoring constitutional order in these suspended states, he stressed, is non‑negotiable if the region is to escape its vicious cycle of coups, poverty and insurgency.

Emerging Threat Vectors

·       Cyber‑insecurity & AI: Africa cannot remain “a passenger in the global tech space.”

·       Climate shocks: A continent‑wide position on climate, peace and security will debut at COP 30.

·       Governance deficits: Prolonged transitions and corruption create fertile ground for extremist narratives.

Youth, Women and the “Time‑Bomb” Warning

With more than 60 percent of Africans under 25, Bankole called demographic exclusion a “ticking time‑bomb.” Investing in youth skills, women’s leadership and quick‑impact community projects is now a core AU priority. The Commissioner urged PAP to mainstream youth and women in every legislative initiative, echoing this year’s 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Financing Peace: “Our Weakest Link”

Global donors are shifting budgets from African peace support to domestic defence. Bankole noted the AU Peace Fund’s first direct contribution to operations in Somalia, but insisted that sustainable security demands home‑grown funding. He asked parliamentarians to champion fresh budget lines and innovative domestic revenue streams for AU missions.

Institutional Reform and a Standing PSC–PAP Interface

Responding to years of sporadic engagement between the two organs, the Commissioner proposed:

1.     Annual PSC–PAP plenary during PAP’s ordinary session.

2.     Troika engagement: Monthly PSC chair (outgoing, current, incoming) to brief the PAP Bureau.

3.     Expanded election‑observation teams: More MPs deployed, budget permitting.

4.     Full PAP participation in the forthcoming review of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and African Governance Architecture (AGA).

Strategic Vision: “Silencing the Guns by 2063 — Together”

Bankole closed by invoking Emperor Haile Selassie’s 1963 words: “Unity is strength.” Re‑tooled early‑warning systems, robust mediation frameworks, youth‑centred development and a PSC–PAP alliance built on consistent dialogue, he argued, are the pillars that can still make the AU’s flagship aspiration — Silencing the Guns by 2063 — a reality.

“History will judge us,” he said, “if Sudan collapses, if South Sudan fails, if the Sahel drifts further into turmoil. But it will also celebrate us if, together, we summon the political will to end these wars and give Africa’s youth the peace and opportunity they deserve.”