The leaders of South Africa, Uganda, Mauritania, Congo and Mali will form a panel that will travel to Libya shortly to help end the violence there, the African Union announced late on Friday.

"The ad hoc committee was set up to engage with all parties in Libya, facilitate in an inclusive dialogue among them, and engage AU partners for the speedy resolution of the crisis in Libya," the bloc said.

At a meeting of heads of state on Thursday, the head of the AU's Peace and Security Council, Ramtane Lamamra, said events in the north African country needed "urgent African action" to bring about an end to the hostilities.

The AU has rejected foreign military intervention in Libya, where forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi are battling with rebels seeking to end his 42-year-old rule.-Reuters