On Tuesday, the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Najla Al-Mangoush “appreciated the important role being played by the African Union in resolving the political stalemate in Libya, and supporting the Libyan parties to reach national reconciliation.”
These remarks came during her participation in the virtual meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which was held at the ministerial level, on the importance of achieving national reconciliation in Libya.
Al-Mangoush commended the role of Congolese Foreign Minister, Jean-Claude Gakosso, who chairs the High-Level Committee of the African Union, and the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission in Libya, Hassan Labat “for their tireless efforts in this file.”
“Working to unify the Libyan people and complete all important steps aimed at leading Libya to a new stage of permanent stability is a historical and national responsibility that we will never abandon,” she noted
The FM pointed out that “the outcomes of the preparatory forum for national reconciliation organised by the Presidential Council in January 2023 provided a clear understanding of the requirements of the current stage for holding the coming National Conference for Reconciliation inside Libya, according to a national vision and will.” She also praised the efforts of the Presidential Council to “provide a real ground to making this effort a success.”
Al-Mangoush emphasised that Libya “continues to play its humanitarian role, despite the exceptional circumstances it is going through, in order to mitigate and face the harsh conditions facing illegal immigrants.”
The Minister praised the role of the Peace and Security Council in Africa in supporting the political process in Libya, and achieving national reconciliation.
Libya descended into a decade of violence following the 2011 overthrow of the late longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed rebellion.
The resulting power grab gave rise to a myriad of home-grown militias and prompted interventions by Arab powers as well as Turkey, and Western states.
Presidential and legislative elections were originally scheduled for December 2021, to cap an UN-sponsored peace process. But the polls were postponed indefinitely, because of controversial candidates and the laws on participation.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.
