UN expresses worry over Libya’s unilateral efforts to reconstruct flood-ravaged cities
Libya, Darnah, Cyrenaica Region, 11 September 2023 In the photo: a boy pulls a suitcase past debris in a flash-flood damaged area in Derna, eastern Libya, on September 11, 2023. Flash floods in eastern Libya killed more than 2,300 people in the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna alone, the emergency services of the Tripoli-based government said on September 12. Please be sure to include the photographers' credit in a watermark on the photo/ in the caption/ in the post text. Photo: © AFP
The United Nations says it is concerned by the unilateral efforts by the Libyan authorities to rebuild flood-affected regions earlier last month.
Earlier in September, eastern Libya was battered by fatal floods brought by Mediterranean storm Daniel and the collapse of two dams, killing over 4,000 people and leaving a massive trail of destruction.
Derna was the hardest devastated by the floods, which caused the city’s dams to break, destroying homes and people.
While reacting to the reconstruction moves by the Libyan authorities, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement that, “These unilateral efforts are counterproductive, deepen the existing divisions in the country, impede reconstruction efforts, and are at odds with the outpouring of solidarity, support, and national unity shown by Libyan people from all corners of the country in response to the crisis.”
The UN envoy to the country, Abdoulaye Bathily, called for a united national system to properly pursue the reconstruction of the flood-damaged areas.
Last month, dozens of Libyans came out in the city of Derna to demand the reconstruction of their homes and bring those responsible for the flood disaster to book.
Libya has been divided by two administrations, one in the east and one in the west, each backed by armed militias and international backers.
The disaster has however become a rallying cry for national unity in a country ravaged by 12 years of conflict and division.
