Maghreb Edition

Libya: African Union gets in the game after complaining of isolation

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Posted On 10 February 2020

Number of times this article was read : 226

Addis Ababa, Feb 10, 2020 – The African Union vowed Monday to boost efforts to end the crisis in Libya and support a faltering UN-led peace process, the AU’s Peace and Security Council chief said. “It’s (the) UN itself which needs us now,” Smail Chergui told reporters on the sidelines of the AU summit in Ethiopia. “It’s time to bring this situation to an end… the two organisations should work hand in hand for that goal,” he added.

Libya has been torn by fighting between rival armed factions since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi. But the AU leadership has complained at being overlooked in peacemaking efforts, which have been led primarily by the UN and heavily involved European nations. But Chergui said the AU could support peace if a cessation of hostilities agreement is finally signed, declaring the AU wanted to be part of an observer
mission to ensure the deal was kept. “This is an African problem, and we have a certain sense that maybe others
do not have,” Chergui said.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said he understood the AU’s “frustration” at having “been put aside” when it comes to Libya. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who takes over as AU chair on
Monday, has said Libya would be a key focus of his tenure as the pan-African bloc seeks a more prominent role in solving conflicts on the continent. Despite AU optimism, analysts are sceptical. “The AU bandwidth on Libya cannot in any way be compared to the UN’s involvement just in simple terms of knowledge and presence on the ground,” said Claudia Gazzini, from the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank. The North African state remains in chaos, mostly split between strongman Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, and the UN-recognised government in Tripoli. Talks between Libya’s warring factions ended on Saturday with no deal on a
ceasefire. The UN has proposed a second round of negotiations for February 18.

By AFP

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