COMMUNIQUÉ

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1344^th 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 35^th 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 1331^st 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

Acting Under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1 Recognizes that climate change is a threat multiplier in the peace, security and humanitarian contexts of the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin Region, exacerbating armed conflicts and various socio-economic challenges, including forced displacement, extreme poverty, food insecurity, water unavailability, floods, droughts, desertification and land degradation;

2. Urges the Member States in position to do so to upscale support for all efforts focusing on climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience as strategies for addressing climate change related security risks in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel Region; and appeals to  partners to honour their funding commitments for loss and damages, mitigation and adaptation efforts of countries in these regions;

3. Underscores the importance of scaling up climate adaptation and resilience programmes and supports for vulnerable populations, particularly youth and pastoralist communities, and reiterates the need for the provision of conflict-sensitive financing and peacebuilding initiatives and to ensure that resources reache fragile and conflict-affected communities, where adaptation needs are greatest but funding remains limited, in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel Regions;

4. Emphasizes the imperative for the AUC to strengthen climate risk analysis in its climate-related early warning mechanisms, contingency planning frameworks and adaptation planning tools designed for addressing the Peace and Security challenges in the Sahel and Lake Chad Regions;

5. Supports the use of climate displacement and technology driven data to inform policies on social cohesion, resilience and conflict prevention in the Regions and, in this regard, appeals to international organisations, partners and African States in position to do so, to share expertise and equipment related to climate-friendly technologies to countries in the region;

6. Acknowledges that climate-induced mobility and socio-economic challenges are transboundary in nature and in this regard calls for stronger collaboration among AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities and regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), and climate commissions, including the Climate Commission for the Sahel Region (CCRS);

7. Encourages the countries of the LCB and Sahel regions to further strengthen their institutional capacity, improve service delivery, and rebuild trust with the populace in order to transform climate pressures into opportunities for cooperation;

8. Expresses appreciations for the efforts being deployed by Member States and RECs/RMs with the support of  partners, in responding to the negative effects of climate change, including in preventing, managing and addressing conflicts and crisis situations exacerbated by climate change; and appeals for the scaling up of resource mobilization efforts to ensure predictable, adequate and sustainable climate financing;

9. Reiterates its appeal to States and RECs/RMs in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel Region to further strengthen natural resources governance and transhumance systems, including through the establishment of cross-border cooperation mechanisms, in order to mitigate tensions arising from climate change;

10. Acknowledges the importance of regional frameworks, including the Regional Strategy for Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience (RS-SRR) of Boko Haram-affected areas, and its successor, in addressing the multidimensional drivers of insecurity, including environmental and livelihood pressures and in this regard, applauds the Lake Chad Basin Commission for implementing a stabilization strategy that combines security operations with development and resilience initiatives in the region;

11. Reiterates it’s call for the AU Commission to review its strategy for the Sahel to incorporate emerging dynamics, drawing from good practices of the LCBC Strategy for stabilization, recovery and resilience against Boko Haram, which incorporates environmental sustainability within its sixth pillar of intervention;

12. Emphasizes the need for comprehensive, coherent, integrated and sustainable as well as climate-sensitive and Africa-led preventive responses and adaptation approaches that effectively address the structural root causes and drivers of conflict;

13. Welcomes efforts being deployed by the AU Commission, working in collaboration with the Lake Chad Basin Commission and ECOWAS and Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in supporting climate change response initiatives, including stabilization strategies, in both the Lake Chad Basin and in the Sahel region and encourages the AUC to prepare and submit for Council’s  consideration, a matrix of action that it has already undertaken and other climate needs of people in the region that the AU can assist with as evidence that the Continent acknowledges the sufferings of people in the area;

14. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to undertake a comprehensive mapping of the impact of climate change in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel region, covering the specific nature of climate-related disasters and a precise assessment of the needs of the affected population resulting from climate change induced vulnerabilities;

15. Directs the AU Commission,  working in close collaboration with ECOWAS, ECCAS and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, to urgently develop a comprehensive matrix of practical recommendations aimed at addressing the multifaceted impact of climate change in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel region, with a view to  further strengthening coordinated regional responses and enhancing the resilience of the affected communities;

16. Underlines the importance of empowering women and youth in the Lake Chad and Sahel Regions to ensure that they play a more meaningful role in all climate change response initiatives;

17. Calls for further strengthening of coordination and collaboration between the AU, Member States, RECs/RMs, the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the Liptako-Gourma Authority, and international partners, including the United Nations, to ensure coherent and effective responses;

18. Stresses the urgent need for expediting the finalization and implementation of the Common African Position on Climate, Peace and Security as a unified continental framework; and

19. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS