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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Thousands are fleeing the fighting despite the lockdown against the COVID 19 pandemic.

At least five civilians died and 28 were  wounded in Tripoli this past week when rebels led by Khalifa Haftar launched rockets into the city, hitting homes and health sites.

The UN office in Libya reports a dramatic  increase in indiscriminate shelling.

The UN representatives also report attacks on Tarhuna, 64 kms southeast of Tripoli where Haftar’s forces are sheltering.

There has been collective punishment of the local population with arbitrary arrests of civilians and cuts in gas and electrical power

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It will involve searching ships in the Mediterranean carrying arms off Libya and checking on illegal fuel and oil being smuggled from the war-torn North African country.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says diplomacy cannot work without enforcement action. 

Europe will use its aerial, satellite and maritime assets to ensure the UN arms embargo against Libya is enforced.

A previous attempt to do this was blocked by the then Italian government claiming the use of warships attracted illegal immigrants to its shores.

The EU announcement came as rebels loyal to Khalifa Haftar shelled Tripoli days after agreeing to ceasefire with the Government of National Accord to allow medics to deal with the COVID 19 pandemic  

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He describes the pandemic as the common enemy and a threat to all mankind.

Antonio Guterres has instructed the UN Secretary General’s special envoys in every conflict zone to work for a global ceasefire.

This is ahead of a $2-billion appeal he’s making to stop the pandemic spreading into refugee camps caused by fighting around the world.

Libya is leading by example.

The UN-backed Government of National Accord and the Russian-backed rebels led by Khalifa Haftar have agreed to a ceasefire to allow the medics to fight CORONA 19

Guterres says he hopes the ceasefire will become immediate and permanent.

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Ships had to be moved to avoid forest from oil storage tanks set ablaze.

Relief at yesterday’s resumption of peace talks on Libya quickly turned to frustration as news of the rocket attack on the Tripoli port reached Geneva.

The Government of National Accord walked out until, it said, a firm position is adopted against the aggressor and violence.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack but the government is blaming Russian-backed rebel leader Khalifa Haftar.

UN special envoy on Libya Ghassan Salame says he’s confident the peace talks can be rescued. 

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He’s speaking in Algiers where he’s visiting with a strong business delegation.

Turkey’s taken sides in Libya, physically supporting the United-Nations-backed Government of National Accord.

So President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s exchanges on Libya with his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tabboune, who strongly rejects any foreign interference in their eastern neighbour with whom they share a 1 000km border, will have been interesting.

Erdogan accuses Libyan rebel leader Khalifa Haftar of breaking the truce signed in Berlin earlier this month.

The United Nations fears both sides in the intractable conflict have been acquiring heavy weapons and armoured vehicles despite the agreement in Berlin to enforce the 2011 arms embargo on Libya. 

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This message on their website hours after leader Khalifa Haftar left Moscow without signing a ceasefire.

Libyan government leader Fayez Al Sarraj must wonder how he was played by his backer, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin who supports Khalifa  Haftar’s rebels.

They were called to Moscow to ink a ceasefire proposed last week by Erdogan and Putin.

It was clear from the start Putin could not deliver Haftar who left, saying he had to consider a few details.

The bellicose message that followed shows he intended duping the Government of National Accord while pursuing his plan to seize the capital Tripoli.

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It doesn’t name Turkey and Russia, whose efforts to broker a ceasefire has come apart.

The Pan African Parliament notes the social, humanitarian and security situation in Libya with great concern.

It rejects and condemns the suffering of the Libyan people and calls for an African or Libyan solution to alleviate this.

The PAP says Libya is being held hostage to mercantile machinations of belligerent parties both internal and external – a clear dig at rebel leader Khalifa Haftar who wrecked the ceasefire proposed by his backer Russian President Vladimir Putin

It calls on the international community and the United Nations Security Council to effect a ceasefire and revive the political process in Libya.

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It’s hoped Government of National Accord leader Fayez Al Sarraj will ink and deal with rebel lead Khalifa Haftar.

ends intro

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who support opposing parties in Libya, called for the ceasefire when they met in Istanbul last week.

There were exchanges of fire at the weekend leading to fears that the truce would not hold.

Then the GNA and rebel leader headed for the Russian capital  raising hope that the eight years of turmoil that have brought Libya to its knees since the killing of Muammar Gaddafi might be coming to and end.

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This comes as Turkish troops move into the capital Tripoli to support the United Nations backed Government of National Accord.

Situated 450 kilometers east of Tripoli, Sirte was liberated from the Islamist State rebels in 2016.

It is the hometown of dictator Muammar Gaddafi whose fatal overthrow in 2011 has plunged Libya into chaos.

The GNA has not confirmed the loss of Sirte, which was announced by rebel leader Khalifa Haftar in the city of Bhengazi on Libya’s eastern border.

With Turkey moving troops in to protect the GNA and its interests in the eastern Mediterranean, Arab fears of a proxy war in Libya look more and more likely. 

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