"The Libyan crisis has been protracted a long time and has cost its people dearly," said African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki, adding that it has fueled "terrorism in the Sahel region" and its consequences "in terms of political destruction and instability".

This came in a speech during the meeting of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya in the Congolese capital Brazzaville on Monday.

According to the African Union, the Libyan crisis is multidimensional: military, security, political, institutional, economic and financial.

Regarding the upcoming reconciliation conference, Faki considered that "its success remains dependent on the will of Libyans".

The meeting, the ninth since the establishment of the AU Commission, is a prelude to a national reconciliation conference scheduled for April 28 in the Libyan city of Sirte.

Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso said at the opening of the meeting that "to resolve this crisis, we have always preferred the inclusive Libyan dialogue as a way of reconciliation rather than preceding the electoral process."

"There will be no stronger initiative than the one that comes from the hearts and minds of our Libyan brothers. The time for war is over," he said, describing the war in Libya as a "tragedy."

Participants in the meeting included Comoros President Azali Assoumani, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily and Libyan Presidential Council leader Mohamed Menfi.

The African Union High-Level Panel on Libya, chaired by Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, includes 10 countries: Algeria, Congo, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Niger, Mauritania, Tunisia, Sudan and Uganda.