Several days after Storm Daniel passed through Libya, the human toll is still provisional but looks terrible. During the regular United Nations (UN) press briefing in Geneva, Tamer Ramadan, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), spoke on Tuesday (September 12) of a “huge” number of dead, which could number in the thousands, and 10,000 missing.
“Humanitarian needs far exceed the capacities of the Libyan Red Crescent and even the capacities of the government,” alerted the humanitarian official, who spoke live from Tunis. “This is why the government in the east has launched an appeal for international assistance and we will also launch an emergency appeal shortly. »
Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon, notably the coastal towns of Jebel Akhdar (north-east), but also Benghazi, where a curfew was declared and schools were closed.
Speaking on the Almasar channel, the head of the executive in eastern Libya, Osama Hamad, put forward on Monday the figures of “more than 2,000 deaths and thousands of missing” in the city of Derna alone, but no medical source or emergency service has confirmed this toll. While eastern Libyan media widely reported Mr. Hamad’s statements, the separate reports they reported from different localities were much lower than the figures he put forward.
“There are bodies everywhere.”
Hichem Chkiouat, minister of civil aviation and member of the emergency committee in the government in the east of the country, told Reuters he expected a “very, very heavy” final toll. “I’m coming back from Derna. The situation is dire, he testified. There are bodies everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under buildings. »
“The number of bodies found in Derna is more than 1,000,” he added. “I’m not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. Many buildings collapsed. »
With the most abundant oil reserves in Africa, Libya has been plunged into chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, and shaken by divisions and violence. For a year and a half, two governments have been competing for power there: that of Abdel Hamid Dbeibah in the West, recognized by the UN, and that appointed by Parliament and supported by Marshal Haftar.
During an extraordinary council of ministers broadcast live on television on Monday, Mr. Dbeibah announced “three days of national mourning”, evoking “the unity of all Libyans” in the face of this catastrophe. The UN mission in Libya said it was “closely monitoring the emergency situation,” and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “solidarity with the Libyan people.” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also expressed “sympathy and condolences” and said Washington was working with the United Nations and Libyan authorities to help with relief efforts.
