North Africa
“We need humanitarian aid”: the situation in Libya is catastrophic
In the particularly hard-hit port city of Darna, tens of thousands of people have become homeless. photo
© Jamal Alkomaty/AP
Days after the floods, entire regions in Libya are cut off from the outside world. According to experts, the country urgently needs more help. An emergency team sets off from Germany.
The exact number is difficult to quantify independently. But it is feared that many more dead will be recovered. Meanwhile, there are desperate calls for more humanitarian aid for survivors in the North African country, which has been mired in civil war for years.
THW sends relief supplies
Meanwhile, the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) launched aid deliveries. According to the organization, there are 100 tents with lighting, 1,000 camp beds, 1,000 blankets, 1,000 sleeping mats and 80 power generators. According to a spokesman, eight trucks set off for Wunstorf near Hanover yesterday evening. The cargo was supposed to be brought to Libya from the Bundeswehr base there today.
The aid organization Doctors Without Borders also announced the arrival of an emergency team in the badly affected city of Darna today. The organization announced on the platform X (formerly Twitter) that it consists of logisticians and medical staff. They are also bringing emergency equipment to treat the injured and body bags for Libya’s Red Crescent charity.
Concern also extends to the hundreds of thousands of refugees and other migrants from more than 40 countries for whom Libya is a stepping stone to Europe, reported the English-language newspaper “Arab News” based in Saudi Arabia. It was said that there are also likely to be victims among these people who were swept away by the floods.
International request for help
Meanwhile, the European Union has activated its civil protection mechanism and is coordinating offers of assistance from various EU countries. The United Nations also has a team on site. Libya had made a request for international assistance.
In Darna alone, more than 30,000 people have become homeless, as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on X. Around 10,000 people are missing. Videos on social media showed convoys of vehicles carrying away the dead, while other images showed bodies floating in the sea. Entire streets are submerged in mud.
In addition to Darna, other cities such as Al-Baida, Al-Marj, Susa and Shahat are also affected. “We just need people who understand the situation – logistical help, dogs that can smell people and get them out of the ground. We just need humanitarian help, people who really know what they are doing,” said a Libyan doctor who works in a clinic near Darnas, the British broadcaster BBC.
Storm “Daniel”, which had also previously raged in Greece, hit Libya on Sunday. Two dams burst near Darna, and entire quarters of the port city with around 100,000 residents were washed into the sea.