The African Union’s newest peace initiative for Libya confronted a major setback as we speak in Addis Ababa, as representatives from the nation’s japanese and western areas notably abstained from signing the Charter for Peace and Reconciliation. Only delegates aligned with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi participated within the signing ceremony.
Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo and Chairman of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya, remained optimistic regardless of the restricted participation. “This charter could pave the way for Libya to establish a unified government, national army, and sovereign institutions”, he said throughout the ceremony.
Musa al-Koni, member of Libya’s internationally recognised Presidential Council, criticised the absent political leaders, attributing Libya’s stalled reconciliation course of to their non-participation. “Their absence from today’s ceremony in Addis Ababa represents a significant obstacle to achieving national unity”, al-Koni declared.
The constitution confronted further criticism from political analyst Mohamed Takala, who highlighted basic issues about its framework. “The document conflates national reconciliation with political settlement”, Takala defined, including that it overlooks essential parts of transitional justice and disregards the established Law No 29 of 2013 from the General National Congress.
The path to as we speak’s ceremony started on 28 January, when the Preparatory Committee for the Comprehensive Conference for National Reconciliation introduced in Zintan that preparations for the peace constitution have been full. The committee emphasised that the doc represented a collaborative effort between Libyans and the African Union.
Diplomatic efforts intensified in late January, with Congolese Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso main an African Union delegation to key Libyan cities. The delegation met with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), in Benghazi on 27 January, adopted by discussions with political, army, and social leaders in Zintan on 28 January.
Earlier this yr, on 7 January 2024, the House of Representatives in Benghazi accepted the National Reconciliation Law by majority vote. Political determine Aguila Saleh has known as for the regulation’s adoption with out modifications.
Libya has struggled with political division since 2014, with parallel governments working within the east and west, impeding efforts to determine lasting peace and unified governance. The present reconciliation efforts characterize the most recent try to bridge this divide underneath worldwide mediation.
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