AU chair "deeply concerned" by heightened tension in Libya

Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on April 6 urged the various stakeholders in Libya to respect the lives and safety of civilians.

A local militiaman, belonging to a group opposed to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, stands on a vehicle the group said they seized from Haftar’s forces at one of their bases in the coastal town of Zawiya, west of Tripoli on April 5, 2019, hours after Haftar’s froces were pushed back from a key checkpoint less than 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Tripoli, according to security source said. (Photo: AFP)
A local militiaman, belonging to a group opposed to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, stands on a vehicle the group said they seized from Haftar’s forces at one of their bases in the coastal town of Zawiya, west of Tripoli on April 5, 2019, hours after Haftar’s froces were pushed back from a key checkpoint less than 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Tripoli, according to security source said. (Photo: AFP)

The AU chairperson, in a statement issued on April 6, also expressed his deep concern by the heightened tension in the North African country.

"The AU commission chairperson is deeply concerned by the heightened tension currently prevailing in Libya," then pan African bloc said in a statement issued on April 6.

Faki also "called on all parties to respect the lives and safety of civilians, and to resume, without delay, the inclusive political dialogue for the swift resolution of the crisis in the country."

Noting the ongoing growing tension in the war-torn nation, the AU chairperson also "warned against any foreign interference in Libya's internal affairs."

The 55-member continental union also "reaffirmed the full solidarity of the African Union with the Libyan people."

The UN Security Council on April 5 called on all forces in Libya to halt military activity amid escalating tension, stressing "there can be no military solution to the conflict" in the country.

Xinhua