Nigeria Assumes Leadership of AU Peace and Security Council
Nigeria has assumed the chairmanship of the African Union Peace and Security Council for the month of May 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.
In a statement issued on Friday, the ministry said the development underscores Nigeria’s longstanding role in continental peace and security, noting that the country remains the only member state to have served continuously on the Council since its establishment in 2004.
Nigeria last chaired the Council in December 2022 and is expected to leverage its extensive institutional experience to guide deliberations during its current tenure.
According to the ministry, discussions for the month will focus on key thematic and regional security concerns affecting Africa, particularly the West African and Sahel regions. Prominent issues on the agenda include the impact of climate change on the Lake Chad Basin crisis, strategies to combat transnational organised crime, and the development of a five-year continental counter-terrorism plan.
Other priority areas include the operationalisation of the African Standby Force and efforts to strengthen maritime security through the proposed Combined Maritime Task Force aimed at tackling piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Peace and Security Council, a key organ of the African Union, comprises 15 member states elected on the basis of regional representation for two- or three-year terms. Current members include Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Algeria, Lesotho, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Eswatini.
The ministry stated that Nigeria’s leadership of the Council will prioritise coordinated African responses to evolving security challenges, while reinforcing mechanisms for conflict prevention, management and resolution across the continent.
By TimesNG