In order to reinforce the significance of inclusive dialogue, preventive diplomacy, and community-based engagement in promoting peace, social cohesion, and regional resilience, the African Union’s Panel of the Wise held a two-day consultative roundtable in Dakar, Senegal, on December 15–16, 2025. The roundtable brought together prominent religious and traditional leaders from all over the Sahel and West Africa.
The importance of religious and traditional leaders as moral authorities in their communities was highlighted by roundtable participants. In order to keep tensions from turning violent, representatives of all religious and cultural traditions unanimously emphasised the importance of listening to communities and interacting with them via mutual respect, knowledge, and understanding. Proposals included national and regional consultation forums to maintain productive discussion, capacity-building programs in mediation and preventive diplomacy, and organised interaction mechanisms between community leaders and A.U. continental peace structures.
In a region dealing with interconnected challenges, such as extremist violence, governance deficiencies, economic instability, and climate shocks, this effort represents a strategic shift towards nonviolent and locally grounded peacebuilding tactics. The discussion emphasises how peace initiatives based on conventional authority institutions and community ownership can directly address the underlying social processes that generate conflict rather than concentrating just on military or security operations. The idea that permanent peace must be inclusive and locally legitimate rather than merely externally driven is reinforced by cross-cultural engagement, which includes women, young people, and religious.
West Africa and the Sahel continue to face similar challenges. Armed organisations like Boko Haram, affiliates of the Islamic State, and other extremist networks operate internationally, taking advantage of political instability, poor governance, and high youth unemployment to increase their power. The Sahel is responsible for a large portion of the world’s terrorism-related deaths, with millions of people displaced and vital services like schools and medical facilities shut down because of insecurity, according to recent claims from U.N. authorities. In this regard, the A.U.’s focus on social cohesion and preventative diplomacy through grassroots leadership consultation is an essential addition to conventional peace and security initiatives.
The Panel of the Wise itself is an integral component of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), designed to advise the Peace and Security Council and the A.U. Commission on conflict prevention and resolution strategies. Established as a body of respected African personalities from diverse regions, it is tasked with supporting early warning, mediation, and conflict prevention initiatives across the continent.
The Dakar roundtable’s focus on women’s and young people’s involvement in peace processes was one of its most notable features. Participants emphasised that young people, who are disproportionately impacted by unemployment and marginalisation, may be potent agents of peace if given chances and platforms for positive engagement, and that women frequently act as pillars of community cohesiveness. This is in line with more general continental objectives, such as the A.U.’s Agenda 2063 and the “Silencing the Guns” campaign, which advocate for inclusive governance and social change as the cornerstones of enduring peace.
To sum up, the A.U.’s consultative roundtable shows a growing understanding that peace needs to be fostered from the ground up by communication, respect for one another, and the development of local leadership. The effort provides a possible paradigm for conflict prevention and long-term peace in the Sahel and West Africa by emphasising non-combat tactics and encouraging ongoing interaction between traditional authorities, religious leaders, and continental peace structures. The focus on inclusive, community-driven solutions will continue to be crucial to tackling the underlying causes of violence and promoting long-lasting peace throughout the region as the A.U. and its partners build on the findings of the roundtable.
