Assembly/AU/3(XIV) Annex III Page 27 viii. undertaking of fact finding missions in the field by or on behalf of the PSC; ix. inclusion of safeguards to reduce, as much as possible, the negative impacts on the civilian population of measures taken under a sanctions regime. 7. At the expiration of a given period, and if no progress is made towards return to constitutional order, further steps should be taken, including the possibility of deployment of a peace enforcement mission. In this respect, and once operationalized, the African Standby Force will be able to provide some dissuasion and put pressure on coup perpetrators. C. Legal basis for the establishment and operationalization of the PSC Committee on Sanctions 8. The decision of the PSC adopted at its 178th meeting held on 13 March 2009 to establish a Committee on Sanctions is in conformity with:  Article 8 (5) of the Protocol: Council may establish subsidiary bodies and sub-Committees as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions;  Article 7(g) of the PSC Protocol: Council shall institute sanctions whenever an unconstitutional change of Government takes places in a Member State, as provided for in the Lomé Declaration, the Constitutive Act and the PSC Protocol. 9. Accordingly, the establishment of a Committee on Sanctions within the PSC represents a contribution of the PSC to the implementation of decision Assembly/AU/Dec. 220 (XII) of the 12th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, held from 1 to 3 February 2009, on the resurgence of the scourge of coups d’état in Africa. In the decision, the Assembly, inter-alia, called on Member States to react firmly and unequivocally to put an end to the scourge of unconstitutional changes of government. D. Establishment of the Committee on Sanctions a) Nature 10. The Committee on Sanctions is a subsidiary standing body of the Peace and Security Council established pursuant to Articles 7 (g) and 8 (5) of the PSC Protocol and within the broad framework of relevant AU instruments. b) Composition 11. The Committee shall consist of five members of the PSC, appointed on the basis of regional representation.