Libya/Floods: Resentment mounts in Derna against politicians

A week after the floods that killed thousands of people, hopes are fading of finding survivors in Derna. Some relatives of the missing now want only one thing: to find their bodies and bury them. And all the while, resentment towards the authorities is spreading among the population.

The more time passes, the less hope there is of finding survivors, admitted the Health Minister of the government of eastern Libya, which is not recognized by the international community, on Monday. Rescue workers dispatched by the Spanish authorities declared that they were calling off their search. However, efforts are continuing to find the bodies washed out to sea.

According to a volunteer rescuer working in the town, over 600 bodies were recovered from the sea off Derna. According to an Egyptian rescue team member, hundreds of families were trapped in their cars as they tried to escape the danger.

Behind the sorrow and pain, the shock is now giving way to great anger among the displaced and wounded people from Derna who went to Benghazi. They are appealing to the public prosecutor in Tripoli. They are asking him not only to open a general inquiry, but also to be transparent, so that those responsible are swiftly brought to justice.

The demonstrators are particularly angry with the city council and its leader. The latter was not elected, but appointed by the head of parliament. The money earmarked for the upkeep of the two dams has never been used. It has to be said that Libya has been in chaos since 2011. The country suffers not only from negligent business management, but also and above all from endemic corruption, not to speak of lack of a central government.