Libya’s prosecutor general has ordered the arrest of eight officials in connection with the devastating flood disaster that occurred earlier this month, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives.
The move comes as part of an ongoing investigation into the tragic incident that unfolded in the wake of a catastrophic dam collapse.
The disaster, described by witnesses as akin to a tsunami, unfolded on September 10 when flash floods breached two aging dams in the vicinity of Derna, a key port city located in Libya’s eastern region.
The prosecutor general’s office has cited “bad management” and negligence as the primary reasons behind the disaster. The implicated officials are reported to have either held current positions or served in past roles responsible for overseeing water resources and dam management.
Recent numbers have estimated that over 11,000 residents lost their lives in the flood, with thousands of others still missing.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves across Libya and the international community, prompting swift action to provide aid and hold people accountable.
Libya’s prosecutor general Al-Seddik al-Sur initiated the investigation more than a week ago, revealing that the two dams upstream from Derna had been structurally compromised since as far back as 1998.
The necessary repairs, which were initiated by a Turkish company in 2010, were abruptly halted just a few months later due to the outbreak of the 2011 revolution in Libya. The repairs were never resumed, as confirmed by the prosecutor on September 16.
The 2011 uprising led to the fall of the longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and ushered in a tumultuous period marked by intermittent conflicts that persisted for over a decade.
Libya remains divided nowadays between an internationally-recognized administration based in Tripoli, which Al-Sur is affiliated with, and another administration in the flood-affected eastern region.
Although the eastern forces had previously launched an unsuccessful assault on the capital, Tripoli, a 2020 ceasefire has largely held, offering a semblance of stability and an opportunity for war-ravaged Libya to embark on an arduous journey of reconstruction.
Both dams at the center of this disaster were originally constructed by a Yugoslav company during the 1970s, with their primary purpose being the protection of Derna from potential floods, as highlighted by Al-Sur in earlier statements.
Since the 2011 revolution, annual budgets have been allocated for the necessary repairs to these dams, but none of the successive governments took action to commence the required work.
