UN envoy stresses swift, coordinated recovery efforts in floods-hit Libya

The importance of swift, coordinated and united efforts to recover from the floods that hit eastern Libya last week, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Libya on Sunday (Sept. 17) stressed.

Abdoulaye Bathily made the remarks in a meeting with President of the Libyan Presidency Council Mohamed Menfi in the capital Tripoli, during which he expressed condolences on behalf of the UN after deadly floods swept the city of Derna and other areas, Bathily wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The UN envoy said he emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in the use of resources during the recovery and reconstruction process and proposed the establishment of an inclusive mechanism to oversee the recovery efforts.

Bathily also underlined the urgency for Libya to have unified and legitimate institutions to respond effectively to all challenges facing the country.

According to government estimates, on September 10, Mediterranean storm Daniel caused Libya to experience its worst floods in decades, resulting in at least 5,500 fatalities and 10,000 missing people.

Oil-rich Libya has been divided for years between rival administrations in the east and west after the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.