Sisi calls for decisive African action against flow of terrorists to Libya

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi warned that the continued flow of thousands of terrorists and foreign fighters from Syria to Libya will not only threaten Libya’s security, but will also affect neighboring countries in the immediate future as well.

Addressing the African Union’s Peace and Security Council session on Libya and the Sahel, hosted by Addis Ababa on Saturday, Sisi noted that the crisis in Libya is passing through a critical phase, given its grave security implications on neighboring states, including the countries of the African Sahel region.

This makes it incumbent upon the AU Peace and Security Council to remain vigilant against these threats in light of its responsibility for preserving African peace and security, the president stressed.

Sisi also underlined the need to adopt a holistic approach to dealing with this sort of challenges by taking their security, economic, development and social dimensions into account.

Sisi emphasized that there will be neither security nor stability in Libya without a peaceful settlement that promotes social inclusion and allows for the equitable distribution of wealth and power.

He added that any settlement to the Libyan crisis should allow for restoring the country’s state institutions, laying an emphasis on their critical role to exercise control over Libya’s borders for ensuring internal security and preventing any threats to neighboring countries from Libyan territories.

“This matter was discussed at length during the summit I called in Cairo for the Troika of the African Union and the presidency of the high-level committee on Libya in April 2019,” the president said.

During his speech, Sisi paid tribute to the role of the high-level committee on Libya and its president’s keenness on further African for a political solution to the Libyan crisis.

He also asserted Egypt’s support to sisterly African nations in the African Sahel to maintain security and stability in such a vital region in Africa.