Sierra Leone gets 2nd nod as African Union council head

By Alpha Kamara

DAKAR, Senegal (AA) - Sierra Leone late Monday got a vote of confidence from the African Union (AU) to continue chairing the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) at the bloc’s headquarters in Addis Ababa.

This is the first time since the council was established in 2001 that Sierra Leone has gotten the nod to chair it for the second time in a row.

The West African country first chaired the council from late November to late December 2016, and on Monday night its mandate was extended for another month, from Jan. 9 to Feb. 10.

According to Osman Keh Kamara, Sierra Leone’s ambassador to the African Union, high on the agenda for deliberations will be the post-election crisis in Gambia, the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the situation in Somalia, and implementation of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and its mandate.

Kamara added that consideration of the Draft African Union Roadmap on Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020 and a draft report on the State of Peace and Security in Africa will be key under his stewardship.

The Peace and Security Council is the bloc's standing organ for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts, according to the African Union website.

It is a key element of the African Peace and Security Architecture, the umbrella term for the main AU mechanisms for promoting peace, security and stability in Africa