UN envoy to Libya to visit Sudan for peace talks

The United Nations envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler, will visit Khartoum on Sunday for talks on the conflict in the North African country, the Sudanese foreign ministry said.
Kobler, on his first visit to Sudan, is expected to meet Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour and other senior officials in Khartoum.
“He will discuss efforts made by Arab League and African Union to solve the Libyan crisis,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Ghandour will also attend a May 8 conference in Nigeria drawing Libya’s neighbours, it said.
Libya has fallen into crisis since the 2011 killing of longtime strongman Moammar Gadddafi, with dozens of armed factions battling for control of the oil-rich country.
During the rebellion against Gaddafi, Khartoum had acknowledged its support to rebels fighting his forces.
Sudan recognises Libya’s unity government headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, which was born of a UN-brokered deal signed in late 2015.
The unity government has, however, struggled to assert its authority nationwide since taking office in Tripoli in March last year.
Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar has opposed Sarraj’s government and is backing a rival government based in Libya’s east.
But for the past two years his main priority has been battling jihadists in second city Benghazi.