18 September 2024: Sebha floods cause damage and victims as authorities rush to help
This week we look at flooding in Sebha, as well as the failure to reach a resolution to the CBL crisis and the erosion of the NOC's independence in the face of the ongoing blockade.
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Sebha floods cause damage and victims as both western and eastern authorities, as well as the NOC, rush to help
Incident: On 14 and 15 September, heavy rains in Libya’s southern city of Sebha caused significant damage to infrastructure and people, with local authorities reporting at least two deaths and 33 injuries among residents. Homes have reportedly been submerged in floodwater and sewage, and the Sebha Municipal Council urged all citizens to follow safety instructions to avoid further incidents.
On 15 September, the Government of National Unity (GNU) issued a number of statements reassuring all Libyan citizens that Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba has taken prompt action to address the emergency, establishing an Emergency and Rapid Response team under Badr al-Din al-Toumi ‘to take the necessary measures and procedures in the southern region’.
The same day, the Government of National Stability (GNS) issued two statements in which it announced it had formed its own Emergency and Rapid Response Committee for the city of Sebha and the cities and regions of the southwest. The Committee is under the GNS Ministry of Labor and Rehabilitation and includes a number of ministers and heads of bodies in the GNS. The GNS also stressed that Prime Minister Osama Hammad ‘issued his urgent instructions to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Electricity and the competent authorities to quickly deal with the crisis’.
On 15 September, the NOC announced it had sent a medical convoy to Sebha. The convoy includes medicines and medical equipment, and was organised by the NOC Oil Clinic and the Sustainable Development Department. The Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, the NOC subsidiary in charge of fuel supply, also stated that it has sent a convoy transporting trailer pump equipment and advanced maintenance equipment to enhance water suction operations at the Sebha fuel depot. Flooding at the depot has prevented fuel and cooking gas from being distributed.
There are also ongoing concerns about the risk of flooding in the Zliten area. On 15 September, the GNU Ministry of Local Government’s National Emergency Committee visited Zliten, east of Tripoli, to inspect the conditions of the dams and valleys there. The meeting specifically addressed the situation of Wadi Majer, the largest valley in the region, which poses a danger to citizens, especially in areas affected by the phenomenon of rising groundwater levels in Zliten. They also discussed precautionary measures to preserve citizens' property and monitor low-lying areas adjacent to the valleys.
Comment: This new emergency comes after recent flooding in Ghat in mid-August, and on the one-year anniversary of the Derna floods. The population in Sebha was apparently unprepared. The National Center for Meteorology had warned of thunderstorms in the southwest on the evening of the 15 September, but a thunderstorm struck Sebha one day earlier. In addition to the damage in the city itself, the Ubari-Al-Owainat road has collapsed due to rainfall according to photos circulated on social media. The Sebha International Airport administration has announced the suspension of air traffic to and from the airport. Sebha Mayor Belhaj Ali called the situation on the day after the incident ‘catastrophic’.
According to the GNU, Minister of Social Affairs Wafaa Al-Kilani is assisting the Emergency and Rapid Response team by mobilising the Social Solidarity and Social Security Fund, and the Center for Social Studies, to provide capabilities and assistance to the families affected by the floods. For its part, the GNU Ministry of Health has taken ‘urgent measures’ to transfer the people seriously wounded to Tripoli, and to providing medical and humanitarian services in Sebha.
According to the GNS, the Emergency and Rapid Response Committee will be in a state of continuous session until the end of the emergency. It is tasked with ‘monitoring the repercussions of the effects left by the floods, providing urgent and emergency capabilities to relieve citizens, addressing service disruptions, declaring a state of emergency and preparing to deal with weather fluctuations and expected weather fluctuations’.
Significance: Though less severe than other floods affecting Libya in recent months, the Sebha incident signals a serious problem with Libyan infrastructures facing the effects of climate change. Most of these infrastructures are old and need sustained maintenance works which no authority – either national or local – has put in place. Thus, Libya finds itself in an emergency crisis every time there is an unexpected environmental event.
At the same time, these circumstances provide further opportunities for the rival powers in the country to race for visibility. Both the GNU and GNS have repeatedly stressed via social media how they have launched all-government efforts to address the emergency, emphasising the coordinating role of Dabaiba and Hammad respectively. The NOC and Brega – largely blamed for the fuel crisis across the country – have also stepped forward to help and improve their reputation. While all the uncoordinated initiatives put in place by the various Libyan players can still provide some aid to the local people in the short term, their medium-term impact and the efficiency of reconstruction efforts are uncertain.
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UNSMIL talks fail to find resolution to CBL crisis: HoR & HSC cannot or will not agree on next steps and PC refuses to back down from its decision
Incident: UNSMIL-hosted talks between representatives of the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High State Council (HSC) on the one hand, and the Presidential Council (PC) on the other, have so far not resulted in an agreement on how to end the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) crisis. On 11 September, UNSMIL said it facilitated consultations between representatives of the HoR and the HSC on the one hand, and the PC on the other, over the CBL crisis. It said the HoR and HSC had made progress on a deal governing the interim period and expected to reach a final agreement the following day. However, after a second day of talks on 12 September, UNSMIL welcomed ‘the progress achieved on the principles, criteria and timeline that should govern the interim period leading to the appointment of a new governor and board of directors for the Central Bank. However, it regrets that the two parties [HoR and HSC] have yet to reach a final agreement.’
NOC in weakened position as Bin Qadara meets US officials and Turkey looks to maritime exploration
Incident: On 14 September, the NOC Chairman Farhat Bin Qadara held a series of important meetings in the US capital, Washington DC, with a number of senior officials in the US administration. This included a meeting at the White House with the US President’s Special Advisor, Amos Hochstein; another at the State Department with the US Assistant Secretary of State, Joshua Harris; and another at the UN Agency for International Development (USAID) office with the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the USAID Middle East Bureau, Sybil Siegel. Bin Qadara also held a meeting at the Treasury Department with the US Treasury’s International Affairs Officer, Anthony Marcus, and another one at the Energy Department with the US Assistant Secretaries of Energy, Geoffrey Pyatt, Brad Crabtree, and Josh Volz. Finally, Bin Qadara met with the US Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Thomas Prince, at the Department of Commerce.
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UNSMIL talks fail to find resolution to CBL crisis: HoR & HSC cannot or will not agree on next steps and PC refuses to back down from its decision
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