African Union leaders gather in Ethiopia for peace in Libya

The file photo shows a meeting of the African Union leaders.

African Union (AU) leaders have gathered in Ethiopia to push for a solution to the conflict in Libya.

Seven AU leaders from Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Niger, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda met on Tuesday at the bloc’s headquarters in Addis Ababa to discuss ways of approximating the warring sides in Libya and to help peace talks resume.

"There is no military solution to the Libyan crisis and this must be understood by all stakeholders," Chad's President Idris Deby said, adding that AU leaders hoped to bring together all the Libyan stakeholders as soon as possible "to enable them engage in a frank and direct dialogue."

The United Nations says it supports the AU panel on Libya, as previous efforts by the international organization to settle disputes between Libya's warring sides have failed.

The UN has managed to establish the Government of National Accord (GNA), which comprises political and military figures from the two main factions in the country. However, elements inside the two camps have resisted cooperation with the UN-backed unity government.

Deby said the main obstacle in the way of establishing peace in Libya was the "lack of homogeneity between the two camps with each one having a multitude of political and military actors."

The disastrous consequences of the Libyan crisis, the Chadian president said, have gripped other countries in Africa.

AU chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma also called on African governments to increase their share of humanitarian assistance to the Libyans affected by the conflict.

"The economic situation in Libya is equally dire with destruction of infrastructure leading to a dangerously low oil production. This situation cannot continue," Dlamini-Zuma said, adding that 2.4 million Libyans were currently in need of humanitarian assistance, including 350,000 internally displaced people.