Addis Abeba, 3 April 2019: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, concluded a two-day working visit to Libya on 1 and 2 April 2019.  He was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smaïl Chergui, and the Commissioner of Social Affairs, Mme Amiral El Fadil, as well as other senior officials of the Commission.


In Tripoli, the Chairperson met Mr. Fayez Mustafa Al-Sarraj, Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and Prime Minister of the Government of the National Accord. In the course of that meeting, Mr. Sarraj expressed support to the African Union initiative to hold a National Reconciliation Conference in Addis Ababa in July 2019, in support of the national dialogue process led by the United Nations. He further expressed his readiness to co-establish a preparatory mechanism to ensure the success of the Conference.


For his part, the Chairperson emphasized the guiding principles of the African Union approach, mainly the necessity of a Libyan-owned and led process towards creating a new political dispensation in the country, in support of the United Nations-led initiative.
The Chairperson renewed his appeal to all external actors to refrain from interference in the internal affairs of Libya.  He further stressed the continued readiness and commitment of the AU to fully cooperate with the United Nations and other partners to support the Libyan people achieve peace, reconciliation and development.


During the visit in Tripoli, the Chairperson of the Commission also held talks with a delegation of members of the High Council of State led by Mr. Khalid Al-Mishri. The members of the High Council of State shared their views on the impasse in Libya and appealed to the AU to actively contribute to the search for a durable and peaceful solution. They assured the Chairperson of their support to the AU initiative.


Also in Tripoli, the Chairperson and his delegation paid a visit to a detention centre where they met with a group of migrants who recounted their experiences and hopes for the future. He assured them of the African Union’s determination to continue assisting the voluntary repatriation of all concerned to their countries of origin and facilitating access for their national Governments to offer consular services, including the provision of necessary identity documents to facilitate identification and return. 

It should be recalled that the African Union-United Nations-European Union Tripartite Task Force on migration has repatriated 33,000 migrants from Libya to their countries of origin since December 2017, and continues to engage the Libyan authorities to identify all detention centres, as well as push for dignified and humane treatment and the prosecution of those involved in acts of human trafficking and bonded labour. In this regard, Mr. Fayez Mustafa Al-Sarraj renewed his Government commitment to support the African Union-led Tripartite Task Force in its work.

In Benghazi, the Chairperson met Field Marshall Khalila Haftar, the Libyan National Army Commander. They exchanged on ways and means to promote peace and reconciliation in Libya, reinforce its national institutions and achieve unity. They agreed to cooperate in the preparations of the African Union-led National Conference on Reconciliation to be held in Addis Ababa in July 2019. 

The Chairperson also briefly met Yosef Ebrahem Alghouri, a member of the Libyan House of Representatives and Head of its Foreign Affairs and International Relations Committee, who presented a written presentation of the views of the House.

The Chairperson expresses his sincere thanks to all the Libyan stakeholders he met during his visit and expressed his sincere appreciation for their readiness to work with the African Union towards a permanent and peaceful solution to the crisis in Libya.