Morocco announced that Libya has chosen to withdraw its candidacy for membership in the African Union’s Peace and Security Council for the term 2022-2025 in favor of the Kingdom.

Rabat reported that the decision was announced during a phone discussion between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Libyan counterpart, Najla AlMangoush, on Sunday.

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Bourita confirmed during the call the “strong support of the Kingdom of Morocco” to the government of national unity and Libyan institutions, in accordance with King Mohammed VI’s guidelines, and “support for its efforts to hold elections in a comprehensive, participatory, and pragmatic framework, which contributes to the efforts of finding a final solution to the crisis that guarantees Libya’s stabilization.”

Bourita thanked the national unity administration, led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah, on “the wisdom it has showed since taking its responsibilities,” according to the statement.

According to the statement, the phone call “provided an opportunity for the two ministers to consult and collaborate on regional and international matters.”

According to AlMangoush, “in the context of the strong brotherly relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the sisterly state of Libya,” “the State of Libya has decided to withdraw its candidacy for membership in the Peace and Security Council of the African Union by drawing up a mandate 2022-2025, waiving it in favor of the Kingdom of Morocco and supporting the Moroccan candidacy for this mandate.” “This judgment will be conveyed to the African Union Commission,” she continued.

According to the statement, the two ministers also discussed “the situation of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, affirming their determination to coordinate in order to give a strong impetus to the organization and the return of its institutions to work in their official and natural headquarters.”

Libya is set to hold its first round of presidential elections on December 24, following years of UN-led efforts to end the country’s civil conflict and restore political stability.

However, the next election will encounter numerous hurdles, including unresolved issues with election laws and periodic infighting between armed factions. Other impediments include the country’s deep schism between east and west, as well as the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and forces.

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The reaction to the Covid-19 outbreak and recovery following the global health catastrophe are being discussed at the second ministerial summit of the African Union (AU) – the European Union (EU), whose preparatory work began today with Morocco’s participation.

High-level officials from the African Union and the European Union’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs called for a strong and united partnership to confront the difficulties posed by the corona virus pandemic during their preliminary meeting.

Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Vice-Chairperson of the African Union Commission and head of the African Union Commission delegation, spoke about the chaos produced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity for a strong Afro-European relationship to face common concerns in a speech.

“The world as we know it has altered quickly, with far-reaching ramifications that we are still trying to identify,” Nsanzabaganwa said, urging for increased cooperation between the African Union and the European Union to speed up the continent’s post-Covid growth.

“Africa needs all the essential support from its closest partners and allies to recover and rebuild itself better,” she said, referring to the epidemic’s catastrophic impacts.

According to Rita Laranjinha, Director-General of the European External Action Service, Europe and Africa must collaborate more closely on a variety of topics in order for both continents to have a brighter future.

“Africa and Europe share a common obligation to improve the global agenda,” she added, noting that the second AU-EU ministerial meeting was an essential step toward the sixth EU-AU summit, which will take place in Brussels in early 2022.

Ministers from Europe and Africa, according to Ms. Laranjinha, must identify the most essential priorities, perspectives, and common concerns to include on the agenda.

Participants at the second AU-EU ministerial conference will look at methods to build resilience and increase investments in digital and ecological transformation, in addition to the theme of the COVID-19 response. The second African Union-European Union ministerial conference, which will end in a joint declaration, will bring together around 500 participants, including more than 60 foreign ministers from the African Union and the European Union.

Morocco was represented at this preparatory meeting by a delegation that included Omar Amghar, Director of the European Union and Mediterranean Series, Radwan Dghoughi, Chief of the Regional Partnerships Section of the Greater Morocco Directorate and the African Maghreb Union Affairs, Mohamed El Atlassi, and the Political Adviser of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom in Addis Ababa, Yassine Ghouane.

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Fathallah Sijilmassi becomes the first Director General of the African Union Commission, following a selection process led by the African Union (AU) from a vast panel of high-level candidates and based on transparency, merit, and skills criteria.

This new position was created as part of the AU Commission’s institutional restructuring after the 11th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government in November 2018.
As a result, Sijilmassi has risen to the top of the African Union Commission’s non-elective structure. It stems from Sijilmassi’s international obligations as Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

He will be in charge of directing the transversal governance of the African Union Commission’s (AUC) institutions, as well as guaranteeing operational coordination between the AUC’s many departments and Member States, as well as ensuring the optimal performance of the Pan-African technostructure.

The selection of Sijilmassi comes in the context of Morocco’s ongoing commitment, since its return to the Pan-African organization in January 2017, to the implementation of the AU’s global reform and the construction of solid administrative and financial governance within the Organization.

Fathallah Sijilmassi is a career diplomat who has held significant national and international posts. Mr. Sijilmassi served as Ambassador of Morocco in Paris and Brussels in addition to being Secretary General of the UfM.

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His Majesty the King Mohammed VI sent a congratulatory letter to Moussa Faki Mahamat on the occasion of his re-election as Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

In this letter, the King expressed his warmest congratulations for Faki’s success in serving the African Union.

King Mohammed VI Faki saying, “The confidence that has been renewed in your person is, of course, an echo of the commitment and dedication that you demonstrated throughout your first term.”

The letter also included that “This confidence also reflects the general conviction that your professional and personal qualities are a guarantee of a wise leadership for the African Union Commission, at a time when our organization embarks on deep institutional reforms of its bodies and methods of work.”

HM King Mohammed VI concluded by reassuring the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat that he can continue to rely on the full and effective support of the Kingdom of Morocco during his presidency and while performing his duties.

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