The natural disaster in eastern Libya has destroyed ten thousand lives. The water that had destructive power on the local people from the dams north of the city of Derna was primarily responsible for the tragedy. The question now arises as to whether this catastrophe could have been prevented.
The area is controlled by a loyal governor of the Libyan warlord Hafta, who has the upper hand over large parts of the country. He is not recognized internationally, but after years of civil war, the West also hoped that cooperation with him could bring peace to the situation in Libya. It was also believed in Brussels and the capitals of the EU member states that the population would support Hafta. They therefore wanted to prevent further escalation by all possible means.
The east of the country, under the control of General Haftar, is ruled like a military dictatorship, a personal colony to be exploited at the will of an individual. Haftar was once a loyal servant of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The two later fell out, and Haftar went to the United States and returned during the Arab Spring in 2011. After the NATO-backed overthrow of Gaddafi, Libya slipped into civil war; since the end of 2020, there has been an internationally recognized government in Tripoli and Haftar’s empire in the east.
After the disaster in Derna, the city’s citizens are now protesting against Haftar’s regime: he and his men in the local administration are said to be partly responsible for the breaching of the dams, which have only been maintained provisionally, if at all, for years. Demonstrations in the center were quickly broken up by local security forces, who even asked foreign journalists to leave the city as quickly as possible. The reason given was that the foreigners were hindering the rescue efforts. Free reporting from the disaster area is only possible to a very limited extent. The government in eastern Libya no longer issued entry permits. Journalists who came anyway were turned back at Benghazi airport.
The Internet has also become difficult to access since the protests against Hafta’s government, and there are fears that new protests could be organized with the help of social media. Even United Nations aid workers sent to Derna to help with the rescue effort were forced to turn back by Hafta’s troops.
Many donors from the West had hoped that the money for the reconstruction of the region devastated by the civil war and the natural disaster could be distributed in a media-effective way, so that it would at least be clear what is arriving – and what disappears after arrival. However, Haftar restricts access. He has entrusted his son Saddam, who does not even have a school diploma, but has risen to the rank of brigadier general, with the chairmanship of emergency coordination. The son decides who gets money and relief supplies. According to a UN report, Saddam Haftar is said to be responsible for the looting of accounts at the Libyan Central Bank, where around two million euros and almost 6,000 silver coins disappeared. Now even more treasures will come, if not in cash, then at least as aid supplies. Haftar’s son apparently sees himself as the one who decides who gets it. A photo on X shows Saddam and three Russian Defense Ministry officials leaning over a map at the start of the crisis. Russia is allied with the Haftars, as is the United Arab Emirates, whose Al Hadath television channel brings protesters in Derna close to terrorists.
European diplomats report that they are “watching closely” how the media in eastern Libya are being prevented from working. However, there has been no open criticism of the events so far. Many governments in Europe see General Haftar as a figure who cannot be ignored when it comes to making joint elections possible again in a divided Libya. Haftar is also seen as useful in the effort to prevent migrants from crossing into Europe: up to a million are said to be in both parts of Libya looking for a route north. The country welcomes migrants as a source of income; money can be made both from human smuggling and from preventing it. Haftar was last in Rome in May to meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He will have given her a price at which he is willing to help.
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