Libya turmoil made Derna flooding even more deadly

The city of Derma has been hit especially hard by the floods - and the chaos that has engulfed Libya over the past decade

The vast majority of deaths from the flooding have occurred in Derna - a city emblematic of Libya's breakdown. It has received little investment for decades and a government minister in the area admitted that one of the dams that burst - and contributed significantly to the destruction - had not been maintained "for a while".Libya has been beset by chaos since forces backed by the West's Nato military alliance overthrew long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011.

Mr Dbeibah took office in 2021 as part of a UN-brokered deal which was supposed to lead to elections within months. However, these have not yet been held amid squabbling by the rival politicians.A rival administration, known as the House of Representatives, is in charge of eastern Libya, which includes the areas worst affected by the floods. It also controls many southern areas, which are mostly uninhabited desert.

These tensions have impacted civilians - around 135,000 Libyans have been forced from their homes and over 800,000 are in need of humanitarian aid, according to UN data from 2021. Having two feuding governments makes it difficult to respond to disasters in a swift, co-ordinated manner. But despite the split, the government in Tripoli has sent a plane with 14 tonnes of medical supplies, body bags and more than 80 doctors and paramedics to the east.

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