Libyan Flood Victims Recount Horror in Derna

Sep 18, 2023 | Libyan flood survivors have begun returning to what’s left of their homes following devastating floods in the northeastern part of the country. Civilian volunteers continued the grim task of searching for survivors and bodies of victims, as the death toll in Derna surged past 11,300 as of September 16, 2023, with thousands more missing. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed with tens of thousands of people displaced by the flooding.

WARNING! This video is extremely upsetting and disturbing. – Mark

How Libya's Governing Authorities Are Handling the Aid Effort | DW News

Sep 18, 2023 | One week on from Libya's devastasting floods, the UN is warning about two more dams in the east, that could burst near Benghazi. The UN's humanitarian office says the dams are under massive pressure, after torrential rains. Local authorities say both dams are in good condition.

Residents in Derna say similar warnings went unheeded for years, before two dams ruptured last week, releasing a wall of water, that swept whole neighborhoods out to sea. The World Health Organization says nearly 4,000 people have been counted dead, and 9,000 are still missing. The aid effort is gathering pace.

Libya Flooding: Recovering and Identifying the Dead in Derna – BBC News

Sep 18, 2023 | A week after catastrophic floods devastated the Libyan city of Derna, rescue teams are continuing to recover dead bodies. The UN says the death toll so far stands at some 11,300. The final total remains unclear - although the one thing that is certain is the sheer scale of this catastrophe. More than 10,000 people remain officially missing, according to figures from the UN's Office for the Co-Ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

How the People of Libya Have to Deal with Devastation, Spreading Diseases and Trauma | DW News

Sep 15, 2023 | Libya's Red Crescent says more than 11,000 people have died in floods in the city of Derna. But that death toll has yet to be verified, and Libyan officials say it is likely to rise.

Large parts of the coastal city were swept away after torrential rain caused two dams to burst. Now there are concerns about the spread of disease, with many bodies lying among the ruins.

For more we talk to Ahmed Bayram. He is with the relief organization Norwegian Refugee Council, and he joins us from neighboring Tunisia. And we talk to Aya Burweila in Athens. She's a widely published expert and commentator on security with a special focus on Libya.

Gaddafi: The Endgame : State of Denial | Documentary

Dec 23, 2011 | State of Denial is the story of the fall of the Gaddafi regime as told by the insiders, defectors and military advisors who helped to bring it about.

Written and directed by Anne Reevell of Moonbeam Films, the film offers a revealing behind-the-scenes account of a revolution, a slice of history in which people took back power.

"The disintegration of the Gaddafi regime in Libya surprised and confused the world - not because it happened in the first place, but because Gaddafi's government remained convinced it could prevail - despite defections, NATO airstrikes and a popular mass uprising," says Reevell.

As the rebels continue to advance towards Tripoli, the Libyan authorities there are in a state of denial, convinced they can still talk to the British government, denouncing the foreign media, burning the homes of Libyan exiles and organising anti-NATO demonstrations in London.

The message they relay says there is 'no compromise on leadership,' but do they mean it or are hairline fractures beginning to emerge?

Using the oral diary of a Tripoli-based insider, as well as interviews with the UK prime minister's senior advisor on Libya and leading figures in Benghazi and Tripoli, State of Denial explores the demise of Gaddafi's powerbase and charts the twists and turns of a regime in denial.

Libya and Morocco: Two Very Different Responses to Catastrophe

THE GUARDIAN: The aftermath of an earthquake in Morocco and flooding in Libya has shown up the state of the two nations

Not one but two disasters have struck in recent days – the earthquake in Morocco and devastating flooding in Libya.

At least 2,900 people are known to have died in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains a week ago, and the authorities say the death toll will rise.

Three days later, on 11 September, intense flooding in Libya led to the collapse of two dams that unleashed a torrent of mud and water into Derna, destroying large parts of the eastern city.

On Friday morning, the Libyan Red Crescent said the number of people who had died in the city had risen to 11,000 and was expected to rise further as rescue teams arrived and helped to retrieve more bodies from the mud. Officials said 30,000 people were missing.

The full scale of the disaster may be far greater, as few international aid agencies or news reporters have been able to reach the flood-hit area. This area is controlled not by the government in Tripoli but by a rival warlord.

Morocco and Libya may be geographically relatively close to each other – just a 2,000km hop across Algeria – but they could not be two more different countries. This has had a huge impact on their ability to respond to the disasters. » | Rupert Neate and Peter Beaumont | Friday, September 15, 2023

Libya Flooding: Most Deaths Could Have Been Avoided, Says UN - BBC News

Sep 14, 2023 | Most of the thousands of deaths in the Libya floods could have been avoided, the UN's World Meteorological Organization has said.

The UN's meteorological branch has criticised the warning systems that were in place in Libya. "If they would have been a normally operating meteorological service, they could have issued warnings," World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Petteri Taalas said.

After two dams failed, whole neighbourhoods were swept away in the torrents.

Libya Flooding: Fears of Up To 20,000 Dead - BBC News

Sep 14, 2023 | The mayor of the eastern Libya port city of Derna estimates between 18,000 and 20,000 people have died in the catastrophic flooding.

Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi told al-Arabiya TV his estimate was based on the number of districts completely destroyed when two burst dams.

More than 5,000 people are known to have died, and at least 10,000 are missing.

Streets were swept away in the torrents and bodies are being recovered from the sea.

The Unimaginable Has Happened in Libya

OPINION : GUEST ESSAY

A man surveys the damage in Derna, Libya, on Sept. 12.Credit...Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters
THE NEW YORK TIMES: This week, the worst storm in recent memory pounded the Green Mountains in eastern Libya with rain, pushing two poorly maintained, half-century-old dams to their limit. Just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 11, the first dam collapsed. An enormous wall of water surged into a riverbed that bisects the coastal city of Derna. It stalled briefly at the second dam eight miles downstream and then scooped that and everything else up in its path, tossing the debris into the sea. By dawn, a third of the city was gone, leaving thousands missing. The number of dead may reach as high as 10,000, Libyan aid coordinators say.

Many people in Libya are calling what happened a tsunami, not a flood, to attempt to capture the physics and power of the devastation. Derna’s nearly 100,000 residents, now stranded, urgently need shelter, food, water and medical care. They need temporary bridges to replace those that were washed out and engineers to rebuild all the roads and fix parts of the city’s operational but battered port. They need cellphone service to reach family members and friends and body bags for the corpses being pulled out of the sea. Thousands are homeless, and officials fear other dams in the area may also burst. » | Ethan Chorin, Dr. Chorin is the author of “Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco That Pushed America and Its World to the Brink.” | Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Catastrophic Floods Devastate Libya

Thousands of people have been killed after heavy rains flooded parts of the country’s northeast, a disaster exacerbated by the collapse of two dams in the coastal city of Derna.

Libyan Flood Survivor Recounts Horror After Dams Burst: “We walked out barefoot and saw our friends and neighbors dying,” said a woman from the hard-hit city of Derna. More than 5,000 are reported dead and 10,000 more are believed to be missing. »

Related article here.

‘Sea Is Constantly Dumping Bodies’: Fears Libya Flood Death Toll May Hit 20,000

THE GUARDIAN: Full scale of devastation in north African nation still not clear as aid agencies struggle to reach cut-off areas

International aid is slowly starting to reach the devastated port city of Derna as questions are raised over how as many as 20,000 people may have perished when Storm Daniel hit the northern coast of Libya on Saturday night.

Ten thousand people had been declared missing by official aid agencies such as the Libyan Red Crescent, but the new, ominous higher estimate of 20,000 deaths came from the director of al-Bayda medical centre, Abdul Rahim Maziq.

Corpses still litter the street, and drinkable water is in short supply. Whole families have been wiped out by the storm and with the remoteness of some villages and the rudimentary nature of municipal government, it will take time for the death toll to be confirmed. (With video) » Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Battle for Tripoli Escalates as Fighting Nears Libyan Capital

THE GUARDIAN: Fighting rages between UN-backed Tripoli government and self-styled Libyan National Army

The battle for Tripoli escalated on Sunday as a military assault on the city by the eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar led to 21 deaths and nearly 90 injuries, and international calls for calm were ignored.

As the fighting neared the capital, the UN issued a plea for a temporary ceasefire to allow the wounded to be evacuated. Hours earlier, the US announced it was withdrawing some of its troops from the country, citing deteriorating “security conditions on the ground”. India also withdrew a group of its peacekeepers, saying the situation in Libya had suddenly worsened.

The international airport 15 miles south of central Tripoli was a scene of fierce battles after Haftar claimed to have seized control of the area from the UN-backed government of national accord. » | Patrick Wintour and Chris Stephen | Sunday, April 7, 2019

Who Wants Migrants Rescued from the Mediterranean Sea? | Inside Story

The arguments over who should take responsibility for refugees arriving in Europe are heating up again. EU leaders have long been divided about how to handle the migrant crisis, which is being highlighted by the grueling voyage undertaken by 630 migrants now in Spain. They were stranded at sea for more than a week because of a diplomatic row. Italy and Malta refused to accept them after being rescued from overcrowded dinghies off the coast of Libya.

After much debate, the new Spanish government allowed the charity ship Aquarius and two other vessels to dock in Valencia. Anti-immigration sentiment has increased in Europe with right-wing parties who want tougher rules making gains in Austria, Germany and Italy.

There is widespread agreement that the EU needs to overhaul asylum and immigration laws, but disagreement on how. An EU summit is due to discuss new rules in Brussels at the end of this month. Can they overcome their deep divisions?

Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam | Guests: William Lacy Swing - Director General, International Organization for Migration; Francesco Galietti - Head of Policy Sonar political risk consultancy

Gaddafi's Son: Libya Like McDonald's for NATO - Fast War as Fast Food (July 2011)

With the war in Libya at the focal point of international relations, RT's gained access to Colonel Gaddafi's son in NATO-targeted Tripoli. Saif al-Islam thinks his country's wanted for its riches, but says the people won't let Libya fall under foreign control.

US-North Korea Peace Talks: Trump Threatens Kim with Gaddafi’s Fate

Col. Larry Wilkerson: Trump’s threats, Bolton’s inexperience, combined with the military exercises in the region is putting the North Korean peace talks at risk. It is inexplicable form of diplomacy, unless you want the talks to fail

Is the UN Able to Achieve Peace in Libya? – Inside Story

The downfall and death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 was hailed as a victory for democracy by some in the international community. Since then, Libyans have suffered six years of war, chaos and competing governments. The power struggle between rival factions and militia, has also allowed ISIL to expand its influence. So lots to sort out for the newly appointed UN Envoy to Libya. Ghassan Salama arrived for a surprise visit to Misrata on Tuesday. But how are regional rivalries complicating the situation in this war-ravaged country? | Presenter: Sohail Rahman | Guests: Anas El Gomati Libyan, Political Analyst and Founder of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute; Alexey Kh-leb-nikov, Middle East expert at Russian International Affairs Council; George Joffe, Lecturer at University of Cambridge

Libya before and after Gaddafi

Department Of Justice abruptly Drops Case against Arms Dealer Who Threatened to Reveal Clinton's Libya Dealings

Read the article here

Inside Story: Is Libya the Answer to the Refugee Crisis in Europe?

Hungarian prime minister proposes building a city for refugees on the Libyan coast.

British MPs Hold Cameron Responsible Over Libya Intervention

Britain's military intervention in Libya five years ago was “misguided”, according to a report by an influential parliamentary committee.

The report heavily criticises former Prime Minister David Cameron and his advisers, saying their decision accelerated Libya's political and economic collapse.

Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull reports from London.