The African Union has said that the time is not right for a military solution in Libya. It has appointed a new task force made up of five heads of state to push the political process and the formation of a Government of National Accord.
The AU’s two-day summit in Addis Ababa closed today with the organisation saying it was deeply concerned that IS was gaining ground in Libya. Though the heads of state in the new Libya Task Force have not yet been named, the AU appointed a new special envoy to Libya. Former Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete is replacing Djibuti premier, Dileita Mohamed Dileita.
On Wednesday UNSMIL chief Martin Kobler had flown to the Ethiopian capital for a meeting with the AU’s Libya Contact Group. Kobler had urged the AU to play a bigger role in Libya, because it was not only an Arab country but also an African country. He warned that terrorist cells in the south of Libya could overflow into Niger and Chad.
