Peace and security

The African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) faces major challenges amid military coups in the Sahel and growing instability in the Horn of Africa. At the same time, global shifts in power and increasing multipolarity are altering the framework for peace and security on the continent. For many African states, this opens up new scope for action and more diverse partnerships. African actors are increasingly turning to diversified cooperation with a range of international partners (multi-alignment). In this context, so-called middle powers are gaining in importance as they expand their political, economic and security relations with African states. These actors contribute to greater diversification of international partnerships and broaden the foreign and security policy options available to African states.

From a social democratic perspective, the focus is on how security cooperation affects people. Transparency, civilian oversight and the involvement of civil society are key prerequisites for a sustainable peace policy. Regional dialogue formats, such as those in the Horn of Africa, West Africa and the Sahel, promote exchange, trust and joint solutions. The FES coordinates its security policy work through the Peace and Security Competence Centre in Dakar.

Wars, authoritarian regimes and the consequences of the climate crisis are key causes of displacement and migration in Africa. Most refugees remain within their regions of origin, which poses challenges for neighbouring states. Through the African Migration Policy Centre in Addis Ababa, the FES addresses the related issues of mobility, freedom of movement and (legal) migration. Through dialogue and advisory services, it promotes a better, evidence-based exchange on migration – both in Africa and in Europe.

Further information on the FES’s international work in the field of peace and security can be found on our thematic portal “Shaping a Just World”.