Assembly/AU/4(XII) Page 3 Studies (ISS), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). 12. Some other briefings covered the evolution of the situations in Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Somalia, Eastern DRC, Guinea Bissau and Republic of Guinea. The various briefing sessions and their respective outcomes are reflected in Annex II. c) Other activities falling within the purview of the PSC Briefings by Chairpersons of the PSC to the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) 13. In line with the Conclusions of the Dakar PSC Retreat on the Working Methods of the PSC, the Chairperson of the PSC for each month briefs the PRC at the end of his/her chairmanship on the activities undertaken by the PSC during the month. Notably, the successive Chairpersons of the PSC for the period under review, namely, Nigeria, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia briefed the PRC on the activities undertaken by the PSC during the respective months of the period under review. Meetings of the Panel of the Wise 14. The Panel of the Wise, established in conformity with the provisions of Article 11 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) to provide support to the efforts of the PSC, held its 2nd meeting at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, on 17 July 2008 under the Chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Ahmed Ben Bella, Chairperson of the Panel. The Panel had an exchange of views on tensions and crises associated with electoral processes in Africa and reviewed the peace and security situation on the Continent. 15. Furthermore, at the invitation of the Government of Algeria, the Panel of the Wise held its third meeting in Algiers, Algeria, from 12 to 14 October 2008. During the meeting, the Panel reviewed the crisis and conflict situations on the continent. Among other aspects, the Panel expressed concern over the situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the continuing violence in Darfur as well as the deterioration of the situation in Somalia. The Panel expressed satisfaction at the signing of a power sharing Agreement by Zimbabwean parties in September 2008 and fully supported the decisions of the PSC on the situation in Mauritania. 16. In addition, the fourth meeting of the Panel was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 28 to 29 November 2008. The meeting considered three main issues: (i) the outcome and recommendations of the Workshop on Election-Related conflicts, held in Nairobi from 26 to 27 November 2008 on a basis of a report prepared by a team of consultants; (ii) the state of peace and security in Africa and the steps to be taken by the Panel in support of the ongoing efforts to promote peace, security and stability; and (iii) its work programme for the rest of 2008 and 2009. Also, the Panel carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in Somalia.