Libya: after Salame's resignation, what role for the AU in the negotiations?

Text by: RFI Follow

After the resignation of Ghassan Salamé, the United Nations special envoy on Libya Monday, March 2 and a few days before a new meeting of the African Union high-level committee on Libya, on March 12 in Congo-Brazzaville , some African countries hope that this resignation will allow Africa to play a greater role in the Libyan file.

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After the resignation of the UN envoy , Africa hopes to have more influence in the management of the Libyan file. " Ghassan Salamé was insensitive to the role of Africa in the peace process ", regrets a Chadian diplomat. His resignation could therefore, in his opinion, make it possible to better take into account the suggestions of the African Union on the subject, and lead to the appointment of a joint envoy, for the African Union and the United Nations, one of the demands of the continent.

In Niger too, this idea is attractive. According to a diplomat, the African Union is best placed to advance the peace process in Libya. " The AU has no political agenda in this country, and African mediations have shown their effectiveness, as in Sudan, " he said. According to him, the declarations of the secretary general of the UN in February show that cooperation is possible. António Guterres then supported the AU's proposal to organize a large inter-Libyan reconciliation forum.

But for Claudia Gazzini, a specialist in Libya, the resignation of Ghassan Salamé will not change the role of the African Union in the matter. " The possibility of a joint envoy between the AU and the UN has already been discussed, she explains, but rejected, because the Arab countries within the United Nations do not see Libya as an African problem ".

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• Libya
• African Union
• UN

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