The AU Peace and Security Council and the Quest for Constitutional Democratic Governance in Africa - A Critical Assessment

Abstract

This article seeks to assess the performance of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) in discouraging unconstitutional changes of government on the African continent. By applying a consistent position against unconstitutional usurpations of power, the Peace and Security Council is not only making a major African contribution to international forms and standards that govern state behaviour, but also represents a marked paradigm shift towards a more proactive confl ict prevention and peace-building approach on the African continent. Indeed one can confi dently declare that the era when coup plotters and illegitimate usurpers could use
“regime security” or “national sovereignty” to legitimise power grabs; or incumbent Heads of State could “mask constitutional illegality” under the guise of “constitutional or governance reforms” to prolong their grip
on executive power, is drawing to a close