Yet there is an ominous silence from the 55-member continental organisation.

The AU echoes the United Nations in making clear its fears about the Libyan conflict becoming proxy war.

It’s failure to condemn Egypt taking the North African state down that road undermines AU credibility and certainly makes a nonsense of the grouping’s major goal of silencing the guns.

African leaders are behaving like their predecessors who took too far their reluctance to interfere in the internal affairs of their peers.

Two decades ago, having sat on their hands during the Rwandan genocide, African leaders resolved never to allow a repeat of such a shameful occurrence.

Since the fall of dictator Muammar Gadaffi in 2011, Libya has been the biggest mess the AU has had to contend with.

The country has become armoury for conflict in the region and beyond.

Its potential oil wealth has been ruined by the conflict and instability.

Nevertheless that oil attracts the unwanted attention of Russia, Turkey and Egypt all of whom hold the  lethally misguided belief that Libya represents their strategic interest.

The most dramatic illustration of this is Egypt’s parliament voting to allow President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to take the country to war over Libya.

The temerity of El Sisi warning the United Nations-backed Libyan Government of National Accord not to attempt to regain control of Sirte is staggering.

A credible government must perforce control the port city at the centre of Libya which is the country’s oil export terminal and gateway it oil fields. The GNA has mounted the ironically named Operation Peace Storm to ensure this.

Egypt backs the rebel force of Khalifa Haftar who are making a last ditch stand at Sirte having been driven out of the capital Tripoli to the west.

Haftar also enjoys the backing of the United Arab Emirates and Russia, which this week shipped mercenaries and air defense systems to the rebels. 

France, which takes more than a passing interest in developments across the Mediterranean, has despatched the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaul to lie off Sirte.

Turkey, determined to be player in this game, has provided both troops and arms to the GNA led by Fayez Al Sarraj.

Small wonder the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has repeatedly expressed concern about the developing proxy war in Libya.

Western powers have also been involved in attempts to get the belligerents around the negotiating table, causing the AU to complain about being iced out of peace efforts in one of its member states.

Surely African leaders must accept that their silence about Egyptian interference in Libya rather disqualifies them from achieving an African solution to this particular African problem.

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They argue that making the donation violates Europe’s weapons embargo on Libya and makes France complicit in the mistreatment of migrants.

The lives of would-be migrants to Europe, who were returned to Libya by the coastguard, is very difficult with many being subject to abuse and enforced labour.

It’s become even tougher because of fighting between the UN-backed government of Fayez Al Serraj and rebel leader Khalifa Haftar.

Five detention camps have been vacated and further six are housing 3 600 people in close proximity to hostilities.

Human rights groups argue that returning migrants to this dangerous scenario is intolerable.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa was among the president who signed the communique.

The forces of rebel leader Khalifa Haftar have been driven back in their advance on the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Egypt’s President Abdelfattah El Sisi, who hosted the AU summit on the Libyan crisis, is a supporter of Haftar.

So it is not surprising that his guests were pressed to call for a ceasefire rather than endorse the United Nations-backed government of Fayez Al Serraj who was hoping for some support from the summit.

There’s  distinct rift in the world organization over the man said to be driving Libya to civil war.

France and United States have shown support for Haftar. 

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Trump’s about-turn flied in the face of his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who earlier this week called on Khalifa Hafar to stop his advance on Tripoli.

The United States was among the powers to endorse Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al Serraj.

So it was logical that Washington should support against him against the rebel leader Khalifa Hafar, who happens to be an American citizen.

His attack on Tripoli has left more than 300 dead, more than 1 000 wounded and more 25 000 displaced

President Donalds Trump has turned this on its head this week praising Haftar for fighting  terrorism and protecting Libya’s oil reserves.

Beleaguered Tripoli residents are demanding that the US explain that they’re calling a betrayal. 

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At least 21 people have died in four days of fighting that include an airstrike by the rebel Libyan National Army.

The tougher line from Washington follows a call for peace from United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres who was visiting Libya when rebels began their advance on Tripoli.

The dissidents are supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

However the tenuous government of Fayez Al Serraj, seeking to restore order in Libya that has been tearing itself apart since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gadaffi,  is supported by the UN.

There are fears that its fall will drive Libya back into becoming a source of illegal immigration and an extremist hotspot on Europe’s southern flank

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United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has joined Western and Arab powers in calling for peace.

ends intro

UN boss Antonio Guterres was in Tripoli visiting the UN-backed Prime Minister Fayes Al Serraj when the so called Libyan National Army started its advance on Tripoli.

Guterres appealed for calm

“There is no military solution anywhere in the world and certainly not military solution in Libya,” he said.

His appeal was echoed by the United States, Britain, France, Italy and the United Arab Emirates.

Libya is  virtually ungovernable because of violence following the 2011 fall of Muammar Gadaffi.

The UN-backed government in Tripoli is held hostage by the Benghazi-based rebels in east of the country 

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