Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1244th meeting held on 12 November 2024 on the situation in Libya.

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling Assembly Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.868 (XXXVII)] adopted by the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on 17-18 February 2024, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, emphasizing the need to unify the country through an inclusive national reconciliation process to foster social and political cohesion;

Also recalling its previous decisions and pronouncements on the situation in Libya, in particular, Communiqué [PSC/MIN/COMM.1150 (2023)] adopted at its 1150th meeting, held on 18 April 2023 and Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1136 (2023)] adopted at its 1136th meeting held on 1 February 2023;

Noting the opening remarks of H.E. Ambassador Jean Léon Ngandu Ilunga, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the African Union and Chairperson of the PSC for November 2024, the statement read by Dr. Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, Director for Conflict Management Directorate on behalf of H.E Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and H.E. Wahida Ayari, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission to Libya and Head the AU Liaison Office for Libya;

Also noting the statement by H.E. Daniel Owassa, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Congo to the AU representing the Chair of the AU High-Level Committee for Libya, the statement by the Representative of Libya and the statement by Ms. Suki Nagra, Director of Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Service on behalf of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL);

Reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the AU to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, national unity and independence of Libya; also reaffirming the AU’s continuous support to the Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process towards achieving general elections as the sole way to unify and stabilize Libya’s institutions;

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,

1. Reiterates AU’s full support for the Permanent Ceasefire Agreement of 23 October 2020; and commends the Libyan stakeholders and the international concerned actors for respecting their commitments as outlined in the Berlin Conferences I and II, and any other relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions;

2. Express deep concern over the continued political stalemate, as well as solidarity with the people of Libya in their quest for the restoration of peace and stability; reaffirms the resolute commitment and readiness of the AU to continue to support Libya in addressing its crisis, in line with AU’s principles and instruments;

3. Welcomes the continuous efforts of the Libyan Joint Military Commission “5+5 Joint Mission Commission (JMC)” under the auspices of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), for the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement; and stresses the need for the incremental and sequential withdrawal of Foreign Fighters, Foreign Forces and Mercenaries in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions and the National Plan adopted by the 5+5 JMC; acknowledges and commends the efforts of the Libyan National Army to secure the South-Western border of Libya as part of its ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and illegal migration;

4. Calls on all Libyan political actors to refrain from any unilateral decisions that could increase tensions, fuel divergences, deepen institutional divisions and jeopardize any constructive steps to achieve the long-awaited State’s institutions unification;

5. Commends UNSMIL’s efforts in facilitating talks between representatives of the Presidency Council, the House of Representatives and the High Council of State that led to a compromise on appointing the new leadership of the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) after weeks of crisis; in this respect, welcomes the resumption of oil production and terminals’ activities; stresses the need to depoliticize Libya’s oil resources to ensure that all Libyan people derive benefit from the income from oil;

6. Encourages national stakeholders to facilitate intra-political talks among all Libyan actors in order to end the institutional division and move towards a sustainable political solution leading to inclusive, free and transparent elections;

7. Reiterates that the Skhirat Agreement signed on 17 December 2015, resulting from the process of reconciliation between the Libyan parties, under the auspices of the UN, remains one of the credible basis and framework for a lasting political solution for the Libyan crisis;

8. Calls on international and regional actors to refrain from any interference in the Libyan internal affairs and to strictly comply with the respect of the sovereignty, the territorial integrity, the national unity of Libya and its institutions;

9. Underscores its commitment to provide support to Libyan institutions, in particular, to the National High Electoral Commission (HNEC), as appropriate and upon request, for HNEC to fulfil its mandate and commends HNEC’s determination to organize credible, transparent and free general elections upon political agreement;

10. Underscores the need for holding simultaneous national elections for both the Legislative and Executive branches of government, thereby granting the Libyan people a clear and direct say in the elections of their representatives to ensure a nationally owned and respected electoral process;

11. Takes note of the considerable progress made in the preparations towards the conduct of the electoral process in Libya during the meeting of the Joint Commission between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State held from 22 May to 6 June 2023 in Bouznika, Morocco, which addressed disagreements, and formulated the laws governing the next presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya;

12. Welcomes the efforts undertaken by the Presidency Council towards National Reconciliation through leading the preparatory committee meetings inside Libya; reiterates its call on all Libyan stakeholders to put the supreme interest of the country above all individual interests, commit to resolving differences amicably and adhere to the reconciliation principles, spirit and efforts in an inclusive, complementary and a constructive manner;

13. Applauds H.E. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo and Chair of the AU High-Level Committee for Libya, for his tireless in advancing peace and reconciliation in Libya; expresses support to the efforts by the AU High-Level Committee for Libya to facilitate the reconciliation process in Libya; and looks forward to the holding of the Libyan-owned and -led national reconciliation conference;

14. Commends the efforts initiated by the Presidency Council towards the preparation for the inter-Libyan Reconciliation Conference; in this regard, welcome the holding of several preparatory meetings in the East, West and Southern Libya, as well as the consultations undertaken by the AU Team led by H.E Jean-Claude Gakosso, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Congo, to various parts of Libya to facilitate a peaceful political transition and as a prerequisite for national reconciliation;

15. Also commends the efforts being deployed by neighboring countries of Libya, the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) in supporting the Libyan-owned and led processes, including stabilization, peacebuilding, reconstruction and reconciliation processes; underscores the importance of a comprehensive and inclusive transitional justice program to address human rights violations, within the framework of the reconciliation process, including incorporating local and traditional successful approaches;

16. Applauds H.E. Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, H.E President of Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union for 2024, for his peace mission to Libya on 11 October 2024, alongside H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, and H.E Jean-Claude Gakosso, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Congo representing the Chair of the AU High-Level Committee, in an effort to bring back Libyan stakeholders to the reconciliation talks;

17. Underscores the urgent need for the United Nations Secretary-General to appoint his Special Representative for Libya;

18. Expresses concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the precarious state of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the country; emphasizes the importance of managing migration per universal laws;

19. Reiterates its decision to undertake a Field Mission to Libya and welcomes the expressed readiness of the State of Libya to welcome the PSC in the country to enable the PSC to interact with various stakeholders on the ground in order to adopt more informed decisions; and

20. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS