President Cyril Ramaphosa is in Egypt for an emergency African Union (AU) Troika Summit convened to discuss the political and security situations in Sudan and Libya.
President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, as the Chairman of the AU, called the emergency summit to be attended by regional partners in Sudan, with the participation of counterparts from South Africa, Chad, Djibouti, Rwanda, Congo and Somalia.
The summit will also be attended by the AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Mahamat Faki, who is expected to report on the AU initiatives undertaken to resolve these crises. Faki recently concluded a visit to Sudan.
On 11 April, Sudan's Defence Minister General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf, appeared on State television and announced the military's detention of al-Bashir, the suspension of the constitution and the start of a two-year transitional period to be overseen by the military and followed by elections.
A three-month state of emergency was also declared in the country. The situation in Libya is also deteriorating.
The eastern-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has launched a military campaign to take over western Libya, particularly Tripoli, where the United Nations-backed government is based.
With South Africa serving as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2019-2020, these political and security challenges in Libya and Sudan are already before the UN Security Council.
President Ramaphosa has indicated that South Africa will use its seat to prioritise regional and continental peace, stability, security and integration and development, and will attend the Emergency Summit to contribute towards the African Union’s stated goal of silencing the guns by 2020. – SAnews.gov.za-Xinhua
