CAIRO, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called on Tuesday for enabling Libya's eastern-based army to eradicate terrorism in the war-torn North African country.
Sisi's remarks came during a meeting in Cairo with African heads of state, official Ahram Online news website reported.
The Egyptian president said that the meeting aimed at reaching political solutions to the crisis in Libya, affirming that African Union countries are the closest party able to support Tripoli to eradicate terrorism.
"The Libyan people have faced many hardships during the past period which depleted their resources and capabilities," he said.
Sisi, whose country chairs the African Union, stressed the necessity of enabling Libya's eastern-based army to perform their role in maintaining the safety and stability of the country.
Sisi also called on the international community to bear its responsibility to guarantee the start of the political negotiation process between different Libyan sides.
The eastern-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over Tripoli from the UN-backed government.
The fighting so far has killed more than 260 people, injured over 1,200 others, and forced more than 20,000 people to flee their homes, according to the World Health Organization.
Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
