The African Union's Peace and Security Council has 15 members and no permanent seats

International International organisation Defence & Security Polity & Governance

The African Union's Peace and Security Council has 15 members and no permanent seats

Background

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) is the standing decision-making organ of the African Union for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. It is a collective security and early warning arrangement meant to allow timely responses to conflict and crisis situations in Africa, and it is the key pillar of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). The Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council was adopted on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, entered into force in December 2003, and the PSC became fully operational in early 2004. The PSC has 15 members with equal voting powers. All members are elected by the AU Executive Council and endorsed by the AU Assembly during its ordinary sessions. For continuity, five members are elected for three-year terms and 10 for two-year terms. There are no permanent members, and the PSC Protocol does not prevent any Member State from seeking immediate re-election.

Members: 15 Terms: 5 members for three years, 10 members for two years Permanent members: None Protocol adopted: 9 July 2002, Durban, South Africa Fully operational: Early 2004

Why it matters for exams: Comparing the African Union's Peace and Security Council with the UN Security Council is a standard answer-writing question, and the absence of permanent members is the sharpest contrast.

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5 October 2026 Source: African Union — The Peace & Security Council

In plain words

PSC Peace and Security Council of the African Union — The AU's standing organ for preventing, managing and resolving conflicts in Africa.

APSA African Peace and Security Architecture — The African Union's overall framework of bodies and instruments for peace, security and stability.

AU Executive Council African Union Executive Council — The AU organ of foreign ministers that elects the PSC's members.

Collective security Collective security — An arrangement in which members treat a threat to one as a concern of all and respond together.