COMMUNIQUÉ
Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1344th meeting held on 4 May 2026 on the Impact of climate change on crisis situations in the Sahel and Lake Chad.
The Peace and Security Council,
Recalling all relevant AU Assembly decisions, particularly Decision [Assembly/AU/DEC 815 (XXXV)] adopted at the 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government held from 5 to 6 February 2022, in which the Assembly acknowledged the inextricable link between Climate, peace and security and requested the AU Commission to expedite the finalization of a climate-related security risk assessment study, in consultation with AU Member States as well as to expeditiously develop a common African Position (CAP) on the nexus between Climate, Peace and Security (CPS) and also adopted the AU Climate Change and Resilient Development strategy and action plan (2022-2032) which underlines the role of Climate Change as a potential threat multiplier in the domain of peace and security; as well as all previous decisions and pronouncements of Council on the nexus between climate change, peace and security, particularly Communique [PSC/PR/COMM.1331 (2026)] adopted at its 1331st meeting held on 19 February 2026;
Also recalling the Addis Ababa Declaration on Climate Change, adopted by the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) convened by the AU Commission in collaboration with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, from 8 to 10 September 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which, among others, also recognizes climate change as a threat multiplier to peace and security, while underlining the importance of finalizing and operationalizing the Common African Position on Climate Change, Peace and Security (CAP-CPS) as a decisive Continental framework;
Acknowledging that climate change is a threat multiplier that exacerbates existing vulnerabilities, intensifying competition over natural resources, disrupting livelihoods, and contributing to displacement and instability in fragile contexts, particularly in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin;
Taking note of the Opening Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Nasir Amino, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for the month of May 2026; the Introductory Statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; and the statements by H.E. Moses Vilakati, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development (ARBE), and by H.E. Dr. Mamadou Tangara, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission for Mali and Sahel and Head of the AU Liaison Office in Mali/Sahel (MISAHEL); the statement by H.E. Marie Jose Samba Ovono Obono, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission for Chad and Head of AU Liaison Office in N’Djamena; as well as the statement by the representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); and
