AU urges Libya’s warring parties to immediately cease hostilities

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has called on Libya’s warring parties to immediately cease hostilities.

Faki said in a press statement released that he is deeply concerned with the recent military build-up and the surge of violent clashes in Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

“The Chairperson re-emphasizes that the security of civilians is an obligation of the Libyan authorities, and therefore urges strict respect for continental and International Humanitarian Law and human rights law by all parties,” read the statement. “The Chairperson reiterates the strong commitment of the African Union to intensify support for peace and national reconciliation in Libya, and encourages the parties to work closely towards sustainable peace, stability and prosperity for the Libyan people.”

Violent clashes in the Libyan capital left at least 23 people dead and injured at least 140 others, the country’s Health Ministry disclosed over the weekend.

Libya is currently at a political impasse. The eastern-based parliament withdrew confidence from Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity in Tripoli and voted in March to install a new government led by Fathi Bashagha.

The country has suffered political instability and chaos since late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s fall in 2011.