Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov received a telephone call from Commissioner of the African Union Peace and Security Commission Smail Chergui. The main topics of discussion, as stated in the message of the Russian foreign Ministry, were the situation in Sudan and Libya.
"The officials discussed current issues related to Africa on the UN agenda, in particular, developments in Sudan and Libya. The Russian diplomat confirmed Russia’s invariable support of the African Union’s active role in the settlement of crises and conflicts in Africa based on the “African solutions to African problems” principle," the message reads.
After the overthrow and death of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, there is a dual power in Libya. The East is headed by the people's elected Parliament, and the West, in the capital Tripoli, by the Government of National accord, formed with the support of the United Nations and the European Union. The authorities in the Eastern part of the country operate independently of Tripoli and cooperate with the army of Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Omar al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years, was removed from power by the military in a coup on April 11, 2019, after widespread public protests. The army created a temporary Military Council, dissolving Parliament and suspending the Constitution. Last September, a new transitional government was established in the country. In December 2019, al-Bashir was sentenced to two years in prison on corruption charges.
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Photo: Alexander Shcherbak / TASS