The African Union's delegation said it would hold consultations with the authorities in Benghazi and other Libyan parties as soon as possible, as a second phase for its consultation in Tripoli.
The delegation visited Tripoli last Thursday and Friday, headed by Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the current President of the African Union, in addition to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Congo, Jean-Claude Gakosso, representing the President of the Congo, and the Chairman of the High-Level Committee on Libya, Denis Sassou Nguesso.
In response to questions about the reason for dropping the visit to Benghazi from the delegation's program, the Mauritanian presidency stated in a statement on Saturday that it would soon visit this city in eastern Libya without specifying an exact date.
According to the statement, the African delegation's visit to Tripoli came within the framework of the ongoing efforts made by the African Union to strengthen the firm solidarity with the Libyan people with the aim of overcoming the circumstantial challenges they face, and in support of the national reconciliation process.
The statement considered that the purpose of this tour was to prepare well for the upcoming meeting in Addis Ababa, as it is the basis for a comprehensive peace process leading to the National Reconciliation Charter and ensuring Libya's return to the roles it used to play. It said the date of that meeting would be determined later in order to achieve the desired goals, especially the National Reconciliation Conference as it is the highest goal.
Political analyst Salah Al-Bakoush revealed that the authorities in the eastern region had refused to receive the African delegation headed by the Mauritanian president, after the latter rejected a request from the Prime Minister of the parallel government, Osama Hammad, who asked Nouakchott, during a visit he made to Mauritania that was described as "controversial", to enable him to access Libyan assets in Mauritania, including the Chinguitty Bank (formerly known as the Libyan Bank in Nouakchott).
Al-Bakoush added that Hammad offered Nouakchott in return "the possibility of making an effort with the Wagner forces that enter Mauritanian territory from time to time, and are accused of harboring rebel leaders from Mali."
