Africa: Communiqué From the 1291st Meeting of the Peace and Security Council, Held On 24 July 2025 At the Heads of State and Government (Hosg) Level On Consideration of the Situation in Libya

Africa: Communiqué From the 1291st Meeting of the Peace and Security Council, Held On 24 July 2025 At the Heads of State and Government (Hosg) Level On Consideration of the Situation in Libya


Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1291st meeting, held on 24 July 2025 at the Heads of State and Government (HoSG) Level on Consideration of the Situation in Libya;

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling the AU Decisions on the situation in Libya, in particular, Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.868 (XXXVII)] adopted by the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union held from 17 to 18 February 2024, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, emphasizing the need to unify the country through an inclusive national reconciliation process to foster social and political cohesion;

Also recalling its previous decisions and pronouncements on the situation in Libya, particularly Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1280 (2025)] adopted at its 1280th meeting held on 23 May 2025;

Recognizing the important role of neighboring countries, regional organizations, and the United Nations in resolving the crisis in Libya;

Taking note of the Opening Statement by H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda and Chairperson of the PSC for the month of July 2025; and the briefing by H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the AU Commission; as well as the statements by H.E. Dr. Mohammad Younis Bashir Al-Mnefi President of the Presidential Council of the State of Libya; by H.E. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo and Chairperson of the AU High-Level Committee for Libya; and by Ms. Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL); and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council;

1. Reaffirms the unwavering commitment of the AU to respect the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity of the State of Libya;

2. Also reaffirms the AU solidarity with the people of Libya in their quest for the restoration of peace, security and stability in their country; and the AU commitment to continue to support the UN-facilitated Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process towards achieving general elections as a viable and sustainable approach for addressing the challenges facing the country;

3. Reiterates the AU commitment to support an inclusive, Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process, including national reconciliation, facilitated by the African Union in collaboration with the United Nations; and stresses the need for further strengthening and unifying all the legitimate Libyan institutions, to create conducive conditions for the successful simultaneous organization of inclusive, credible and transparent Presidential and Parliamentary elections in the country;

4. Expresses deep concern over the volatile security situation in the country, including the military confrontations that took place in Tripoli in May 2025, which resulted in loss of lives and property; calls for an unconditional and permanent ceasefire and urges all parties to refrain from actions or statements that could lead to further escalation of the situation;

5. Underscores the imperative of maintaining order and demilitarizing the non-state armed forces in the capital; and Strongly supports the efforts to restore civilian order and uphold the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression in line with AU instruments and international law; as well as the need for ensuring effective protection of civilians and warns all those responsible for the recent attacks against civilians that they will be held accountable for their acts;

6. Underscores the importance of urgently resolving the challenges facing the High Council of State bearing in mind the need for Libyan stakeholders to refrain from actions and statements that exacerbate the division in Libya and escalates the current situation in the country;

7. Calls on all stakeholders to engage in a comprehensive national political process to end Libya’s prolonged transitional process and achieve lasting peace and development;

8. Commends H.E. Dr. Mohammad Younis Bashir Al-Mnefi, President of the Presidential Council for his personal commitment to address the challenges facing Libya;

9. Also commends H.E. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo and Chair of the AU High-Level Committee on Libya, for the great work that produced the Libyan Reconciliation Charter signed in Addis-Ababa on 14 February 2025 and appeals to all the parties to ensure its implementation, and requests those who have not yet done so, to join the consensus and sign the National Reconciliation Charter without any further delays;

10. Strongly rejects any form of foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs; and calls all external parties to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Libya;

11. Calls for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all foreign forces, foreign fighters, and mercenaries from the Libyan territory;

12. Requests the AU Commission in collaboration with the international community to continue to provide political support to the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) to fully implement the ceasefire agreement including the reunification of the military institutions and the establishment and implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process; in the same vein calls on the Presidential Council to support the work of 5+5 JMC and in addition work towards the eventual security sector reform and the unification of all national institutions to enable them more adequately address the needs of the Libyan people;

13. Expresses deep concern over ongoing violations of the arms embargo, illicit fuel exports, and the erosion of frozen Libyan assets due to mismanagement and emphasizes the critical responsibility of the Sanctions Regime Committee to uphold transparency and accountability, ensuring strict compliance with the sanctions regime and preventing any misuse of Libya’s frozen assets;

14. Reiterates the decision to undertake a Field Mission to Libya to enable the PSC to interact with various stakeholders on the ground in order to better appreciate the situation on the ground in support of transition process;