Nigeria Assumes Chair, AU Peace and Security Council

Nigeria saturday assumed the Chairmanship of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The PSC is the standing organ of the AU for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. It is a key element of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), which is the umbrella term for the main AU mechanisms for promoting peace, security and stability in Africa.

It was established to be a collective security and ‘early warning’ arrangement with the ability to facilitate timely and efficient responses to conflict and crisis situations.

The PSC’s core functions are to conduct early warning and preventive diplomacy, facilitate peace-making, establish peace-support operations and, in certain circumstances, recommend intervention in Member States to promote peace, security and stability.

The PSC also works in support of peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction as well as humanitarian action and disaster management.