Despite all these policy safeguards and AU troops being trained on compliance with the AU Policy on Prevention and Response to Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, allegations of sexual violence by uniformed forces of AMISOM were levelled in 2014.125 The AU Commission response to this development indicated concerns over security sector reforms measures, prosecutorial actions and heightened vigilance through administrative structures as a way of preventing impunity.126 In 2019 the Peace and Security Council recommended stiff penalisation of acts of gender-based violence and sexual abuses perpetrated against women and girls in refugee and IDP camps.127 Evidence of zero tolerance for sexual abuse and exploitation can be seen in other peace support operations. In 2006 for example, Nigeria withdrew its entire civil police force from DRC after allegations were raised around involvement in the abuse of women.128 The nexus between governance and peacebuilding is evidenced in the efforts of key governance and peace and security actors at the continental level to rationalise and strengthen their work. In January 2018 the Assembly, acknowledged the APRM’s value in being positioned as an early warning tool for conflict prevention in Africa, in the context of synergies with the APSA and the African Governance Architecture (AGA).129 The APRM which is currently the chair of AGA, together with AGA and APSA have created a joint platform to harmonise their work.130 The three entities are increasingly focusing on harnessing their collective potential through national structures and processes. The RECs/RMs While an evaluation of the performance of RECs/RMs is beyond the scope of this report, an analysis of the RECS/RMs reveals a trend towards adopting a women, peace and security agenda spread across various policy and governance frameworks, albeit unevenly. Many of the regional instruments setting up RECs/RMs predate 125 EPON ‘Assessing the of the African Union Mission in Somalia / AMISOM Report’ 1/2018 AU ’The African Union Releases the Key Findings and Recommendations of the Report of Investigations on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Somalia’ 21 April 2015 127 AU Peace and Security Council Press Statement 19 March PSC/PR/BR. (DCCCXXXIII) 128 Wilton Park Conference 816 ‘Peace and Security: Implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325’ 30 May – 02 June 2006. Available at https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/wp816-report.pdf 129 Assembly/AU/Dec.686 (XXX) 130 The African Capacity Building Foundation \Media Brief on the AGA-APRM Experts Meeting March 5-6, 2017.’ Available at https://www.acbf-pact.org/media/news/media-brief-aga-aprm-experts-meeting-march-5-62017 126 49