The African Union concluded its periodic summit in Addis Ababa on Monday and called for holding a global conference in July to try to resolve the conflict in Libya, with the aim of holding elections in October.
In its final communiqué, which included a summary of the outcomes of the two-day summit, the AU announced that it would like to hold "an international conference on reconciliation in Libya under the auspices of the AU and the UN" during the first half of July.
It also requested its Commission on Libya "to take, jointly with the United Nations and the Libyan government, all the necessary measures for the organization of presidential and legislative elections in October 2019."
The statement expressed "deep concern about the increase in terrorist attacks in parts of the continent," stressing "the determination of the AU to rid Africa of the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism, which can not be justified under any circumstances."
It also announced establishing a continental operational center in Khartoum as a specialized technical office for combating irregular migration, with a particular focus on human trafficking and migrant smuggling on the continent.
The AU's current Chief Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi underscored the need for "African solutions to African problems."
"Many African countries are already grouped under Regional Economic Communities (RECs), my chairmanship will focus on how RECs can be a vehicle to achieve wider continental economic integration," Sisi said.
