The Libyan flood tragedy

THESE are indeed terrible times for the people of Libya, as the devastating flood that hit the coastal Libyan city of Derna last week continues to wreak havoc, surging towards the Mediterranean. Torrential rains caused two dams built to protect the port city of 100,000 people to burst, and the fact that the banks of a dried riverbed running through the city centre had been heavily built on did not help. Critical infrastructure such as roads and telecommunications systems have been destroyed. If the figures released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) are anything to go by, about 40,000 people have been displaced across northeastern Libya, and the casualty figures keep mounting. In a report released on Sunday, the United Nations indicated that the death toll is at least 11,300, although the Libyan Red Crescent, which was cited in the report, expressed misgivings about the figure, declaring that it was shocked to see its name mixed up with the figures, which it said had added “to the confusion and distress of the families of those missing.”

Sadly, major international aid agencies were reportedly not in sight as ambulance crews and forensic teams struggled to identify the dead and bury them. Also, because tempers are quite high, ‘officials’ have had to fend off accusations that they ordered people to remain indoors and get killed as the flood surged. Othman Abdul Jalil, a spokesperson for what passes off as the Libyan government, claimed that soldiers had warned Derna residents to flee, although reports suggested that many residents were quite undecided regarding whether to stay put or flee their homes, then have to wade through areas where landmines had been displaced by torrents of water. With record numbers of victims dead, there have been mass burials even as the future remains uncertain. Living conditions remain dire with the destruction of homes leaving very little comfort for survivors.

The estimated death of more than 10,000 people, with more than 10,000 others still missing owing to the effects of Storm Daniel, is not only tragic; it is a telling narrative on the failure of humanity and its various governmental contraptions to place a premium on and safeguard human life. This is because while nobody could reasonably prevent the occurrence of natural phenomena and disasters such as Storm Daniel, it is also the case that reasonable efforts could have been made to limit their negative impacts. That would be the case if humanity and societies were organised in such a way as to confer importance on human life and not the satisfaction of sundry schemes and the calculations of devious individuals who place themselves over and above collective interests. For years now, the reality in Libya has been that of intractable contest among armed leaders for supremacy, leaving the country as a sprawling bedlam of lawlessness without a controlling government or sole supervising authority.

The situation, due to the intrasigence of the factional powers, has been that of poor or non-existent organisation and a deterioration in the quality of living across the country. Indeed, it would be unthinkable not to expect maximum devastation from any natural disaster where there is no structure of organised response. We expect the warring armed gangs to be ashamed of the devastation that has become the lot of the country under their iron rule and unfeigned intransigence. They should not only be mollified by the extent of the tragedy, but be determined to quickly act to remedy the situation. This would mean putting a stop to the struggle for supremacy and coming to an agreement on how to set up a viable and functional government for the country and take charge of the reconstruction demanded by the current devastation, if only to honour the memory of those who have unfortunately lost their lives in the tragedy.

The conditions in Libya right now are terribly and frighteningly bad. Things have to change very quickly, or they will become irreparably bad. We expect the international community to offer the necessary assistance to help return Libya to organised existence in order for the people to have an opportunity to reclaim functional living in the wake of this unfortunate tragedy. Major international aid agencies must move in quickly and help to stave off further tragedy. We sympathise with the people of Libya and hope that relief will be swift, steady and sustainable.

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