AU’s Peace, Security Council to Hold Extraordinary Meeting on Libyan Crisis

African leaders and delegates attend an African Union Peace and Security Council summit. (File photo: Reuters)
African leaders and delegates attend an African Union Peace and Security Council summit. (File photo: Reuters)
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AU’s Peace, Security Council to Hold Extraordinary Meeting on Libyan Crisis

African leaders and delegates attend an African Union Peace and Security Council summit. (File photo: Reuters)
African leaders and delegates attend an African Union Peace and Security Council summit. (File photo: Reuters)

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on May 28 to discuss the situation in Libya and other issues.

The Cameroon-chaired Council will review various key issues, including governance and security challenges in Africa, terrorism, unconstitutional change of governments and humanitarian crises, the Libyan News Agency reported.

The Cameroon’s permanent representative at the AU said that the series of meetings will focus on reviewing and comparing the various efforts and challenges faced by the African countries, including Libya, the Central African Republic and Nigeria, in addition to the security challenges in the Horn of Africa and Chad.

In this context, Deputy Prime Minister of Libya’s new government Salim al-Zadma underscored a national will in ending the Libyan crisis.

In a letter addressing the country’s youth, social and political figures and sheikhs and dignitaries, Zadma underlined the importance of raising awareness of the dangers of foreign interventions in Libya.

He expressed appreciation for the “noble” international efforts aimed at achieving peace in Libya.

He called on Libyans to participate in creating stability and real development across the country.



France Says EU Will Lift Some Sanctions Against Syria After Assad’s Fall 

 People walk in front of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
People walk in front of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
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France Says EU Will Lift Some Sanctions Against Syria After Assad’s Fall 

 People walk in front of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
People walk in front of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)

Some European Union sanctions against Syria are being lifted, France's foreign minister said on Monday, as part of a broader EU move to help stabilize Damascus after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad in December.

EU foreign ministers were discussing the matter at a meeting in Brussels on Monday with the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas having told Reuters that she was hopeful an agreement on easing the sanctions could be reached.

"Regarding Syria, we are going to decide today to lift, to suspend, certain sanctions that had applied to the energy and transport sectors and to financial institutions that were key to the financial stabilization of the country," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on arrival at the EU meeting in Brussels.

He added that France would also propose slapping sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for the detention of French citizens in Iran.

"I will announce today that we will propose that those responsible for these arbitrary detentions may be sanctioned by the European Union in the coming months," he said.

Assad, whose family had ruled Syria with an iron first for 54 years, was toppled by opposition forces on Dec. 8, bringing an abrupt end to a devastating 13-year civil war that had created one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times.

The conflict left large parts of many major cities in ruins, services decrepit and the vast majority of the population living in poverty. The harsh Western sanctions regime has effectively cut off its formal economy from the rest of the world.