African Union Calls For Speedy Convening Of Libyan Reconciliation Conference - Commission

ADDIS ABABA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2019) The African Union (AU) thinks that it is necessary to promptly convene the Libyan National Conference, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairman of the AU Commission, said on Sunday.

"We calling for the pooling of efforts ... for the speedy convening of the [Libyan] conference on reconciliation," Faki said at the opening ceremony of the AU 32nd summit, held in the Ethiopian capital.

The African Union is actively involved in seeking lasting peace in Libya, including through the AU High Level Committee on Libya, comprised of the organization's member states representing the five African sub-regions and Libya's neighboring countries.

Libya has been gripped by conflict since 2011, when the country's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. The eastern part of the crisis-torn state is governed by its parliament, with headquarters in the city of Tobruk. The parliament is backed by the Libyan National Army. At the same time, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.