PSC/PR/COMM. (DCCXII) 7. Also notes with concern the trend, in some Member States, towards abuse of the media, particularly social media, by some sections of the civil society and some political parties, which can potentially undermine the credibility of the electoral processes and trigger violent conflicts. In this regard, Council stresses the importance of Member States to further strengthen their national regulatory instruments and mechanisms in order to prevent media abuse during elections; 8. Calls on civil society actors to always prioritize and support Africa’s socioeconomic agenda, including during periods of elections, as part of the overall efforts to realize the AU’s vision of a peaceful, developed, integrated and prosperous Africa, in line with AU’s Agenda 2063; 9. Underscores the importance for Member States to ensure the implementation of the recommendations of AU Election Observer Missions (AUEOM) and of undertaking necessary follow ups, with a view to fostering more conducive conditions for future elections. In the same vein, Council requests the AU Commission to establish monitoring and follow-up mechanisms for the implementation of AEUOM recommendations with a view to avoid similar election-related challenges; 10. Urges Member States to prevent political parties and civil society groups from establishing youth militias for purposes of promoting campaigns of violence ahead of, during and after elections, as this tends to undermine the credibility of the electoral process. In the same context, Council urges Member States to ensure respect and promotion of human rights before, during and after elections; 11. Also urges political parties to desist from resorting to the use of violence as a way of expressing their disaffection over the outcomes of elections but rather, to make full use of all available legal channels in resolving any election related disputes ; 12. Encourages AU Member States to strive all times to institutionalise mechanisms for constructive management of all conflicts, including election-related conflicts. To this end, Council urges political parties and candidates to desist from mobilizing votes along identity fault-lines such as ethnicity; 13. Underlines the importance of Member States to continue to make concerted efforts to invest in national infrastructures for peace as a way of preventing election-related violent conflicts, including national early warning centres; 14. Further underlines the importance of the mobilization of funding from within the continent in order to reduce the vulnerability of elections processes in Member States from manipulations from external actors bent on using their financial leverage to influence outcomes of elections to the detriment of national aspirations; 15. Reiterates the importance of timely prevention of elections related conflicts in the continent through effective use of preventive diplomacy. In this context, Council requests the Commission to continue conducting its early warning programmes for timely detection of signs of vulnerability and instability related to elections, in order to inform early and appropriate responses from the respective AU and RECs organs; 16. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter. 3