African Union to Organize National Reconciliation Conference for Libya

Libya first fell into a decade of violence following the overthrow of the dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 by NATO-backed rebel forces. Since then, rival forces from foreign powers have played some role in controlling the North African country.

On Sunday African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat reported that the AU is organizing a national reconciliation conference for Libya, as the latest attempt to restore stability in the conflict-wracked country.

"We have met with the different parties and we are in the process of working with them on a date and place for the national conference," said Mahamat after a press conference that concluded two-day AU summit.

According to Agence France Presse (AFP), the meeting will be chaired by President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo.

Beginning of March of last year, an administration in Libya's east backed by the warlord Khalifa Haftar, has challenged the United Nations-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah by arguing that the government has surpassed its mandate.

Earlier this month, the United States put pressure on their Middle Eastern allies to expel the Wagner Group from Libya, as well as Sudan.

Senior officials from the UN are also attempting to clear the country of rivaling troops and mercenaries and are hailing the decision as "an important step toward achieving sustainable peace in Libya" following a meeting in Cairo on February 8. But a schedule for those "withdrawals" has not yet been revealed.