APA – Tripoli (Libya) – The death toll from unrelenting floods in eastern Libya is provisionally estimated at thousands, with tens of thousands more still missing.
Two days after the apocalyptic storm named “Daniel,” Libya has not yet finished counting its victims. The storm specifically hit the east of the country on Sunday 10 September, in particular the coastal regions of Benghazi and Jebel Al Akhdar (north-east) where the town of Derna is located, with its 100,000 inhabitants particularly hardest hit by the deluge.
Some of the divided Libyan authorities put the provisional death toll at 150. Others said they had figures of “more than 2,000 dead and thousands missing” in the disaster.
Organisations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which has been on the ground since the beginning to provide relief to the victims, say that they have counted an “enormous” number of deaths and “10,000 missing.” This is why they are launching an appeal for emergency aid for the North African country.
“Humanitarian needs far exceed the capacities of the Libyan Red Crescent and even the capacities of the government. This is why the government in the east has launched an appeal for international aid, and why we are also going to launch an emergency appeal shortly,” said Tamer Ramadan, IFRC head.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya, which has substantial oil reserves, has degenerated into a failed state.
Plunged into chaos and shaken by divisions and violence, the country has had two governments vying for power for over a year.
Abdel Hamid Dbeibah’s government in the west of the country is recognised by the international community, in particular the United Nations, while a rival regime in eastern Libya, appointed by parliament, is backed by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army since 2015.
Several countries and organisations have expressed their support and solidarity with Libya in the wake of these disastrous floods. In a statement received by APA on Tuesday, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) “decided to postpone until further notice the ceremony to launch the celebration of Benghazi, Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for 2023,” although the event was scheduled for 16 September.
ODL/ac/fss/as/APA