Violent forest fires ravaged the Alawenat oasis in southwestern Libya on Saturday, reaching residential areas and causing panic among the population, in the absence of specialised response.
The situation remains critical in Alawenat, where uncontrolled fires destroyed vast agricultural areas before reaching residential neighbourhoods.
According to the official LANA news agency, the flames were sparked by exceptionally high temperatures, amidst a lack of civil protection services. No deployment of professional brigades has
been observed, exacerbating the distress of residents.
According to Saleh Sawsam, president of the Alawenat local youth council, the town is facing imminent disaster. He denounced the complete lack of technical means to contain the flames.
“We are currently relying on rudimentary tanker trucks and hand pumps to try to extinguish the fires. None of our appeals to the authorities have been heeded so far,” he said, stressing that every minute of delay exacerbates the material losses and the suffering of the residents.
The rapid spread of the fires illustrates the increased vulnerability of the southern Libyan regions, which are faced with recurring seasonal infernos, particularly during heatwaves.
The last major incident of this type occurred on March 9, in the palm forests of Rebiana, in the southeast of the country.
Given the scale of the crisis, calls for emergency intervention are increasing, with no concrete response from the central authorities, weakened by the country’s chronic political instability.
The lack of coordination between civilian and military structures raises fears that the damage will spread in the intervening hours.
MK/ac/fss/as/APA