By RFIPosted on 17-10-2019Modified on 17-10-2019 at 14:58

At the UN Security Council, an in-camera meeting called for by Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea has not resulted in any agreement on Libya. The idea, put forward by the African Union and the Sahel countries, was to appoint a joint UN-AU envoy, but the Europeans and the United States do not want to hear about it.

In New York, at the UN General Assembly at the end of September, AU Commission President Moussa Faki Mahamat had already spoken out for Africans to urge this change in approach. A new strategy that was already requested in July at the AU summit in Niamey, then repeated by several West African heads of state to the UN platform, but to no avail.

A proposal of little interest, according to Paris

For the European countries, especially France, had rejected this idea. A French diplomatic source even said that the proposal of an African envoy, instead of the Lebanese Ghassan Salamé, had little interest. Finally, two days ago, the United States announced that it continued to support Antonio Guterres' special envoy.

Statement of disagreement

In these circumstances, it was obvious that this Wednesday's meeting could only lead to a finding of disagreement. The AU's resumption of leadership project does not go to the countries that are now in control of the Libyan issue, especially France, Italy and Germany. According to diplomats quoted by AFP, the AU is accused of not involving the AU on the ground in Libya - its representative is present in Tunisia and not in Tripoli. These same sources also evoke the few reactions of the AU to the bi-weekly reports sent to it by Ghassan Salamé.

First and foremost African borders

Nevertheless, to defend his project, the African organization emphasizes above all the fact that it is almost ten years since Westerners were involved in Libya. And that the record of these ten years is failure. Indeed, the diplomatic initiatives of the Salamé plan, implemented by the Europeans, still skate, while the fighting continues on the ground.

Then, the AU argues that Libya is an African country and that the consequences of the disintegration of Libya are felt in Africa, and particularly in the Sahel. Finally, the leaders of the organization believe that any political solution for a way out of the crisis in Libya can not do without the opinion of Africans. " After all ," adds an African diplomatic source in New York, Libya's borders border Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Egypt. Not France and Germany. "

    On the same subject

    Libya: status quo in Tripoli after six months of fighting

    UN: African Union wants to take over the Libyan case

    Sahel and Libya: the two African issues that will prevail at the UN

    comments