Shoukry heads to Sudan to take part in ministerial meeting of Libya’s neighbouring countries
Meeting will address recent updates in war-torn country, reviewing joint efforts to end conflict
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, headed to Sudan on Wednesday to take part in the Ministerial Meeting for the Neighbouring Countries of Libya, the ministry’s statement said.
The meeting, which will take place on Thursday, is expected to address the recent updates in the war-torn country, and review the joint efforts aiming to restore stability and security in Libya.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said that representatives from the Libyan government of national accord, the UN, the EU, France, and Italy will also attend the discussion.
The meeting is part of a series of sessions which are regularly held between the foreign ministers of Libya’s neighbouring countries: Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria, to reassert the necessity of a political solution, brokered by the UN aiming to end the conflict and division.
Earlier in May, the foreign ministers also met in Algeria to participate in a tripartite ministerial meeting on Libya.
Egypt highlighted the significance of enhancing the Libyan legitimate institutions, including the security forces and the military, to take the lead and maintain security and stability.
Libya was supposed to witness parliamentary and presidential elections by the end of this year, but it seemed that hopes of resorting stability dashed, as the large North African country is still split among various political and armed factions.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has remained in chaos, as the Islamic State group gained a foothold in Sirte, the birthplace of Gaddafi before it was recaptured in 2016.
Currently, there are three governments and two rival parliaments in the oil-rich country, that has been suffering from a financial crisis since 2011, due to clashes between militias and forces loyal to these governments.
Late in 2015, the UN reached an agreement to form a new “unity” government, headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, and based in Tripoli, while the other two governments remain in the eastern cities of Bayda and Benghazi.
Egypt and France are backing Libyan Military Commander, Khalifa Haftar, who is based in the east and leads the Libyan National Army (LNA), consisting of formal army units and militias loyal to him. The LNA has control of Libya’s main oil terminals.