UN envoy stresses swift, coordinated recovery efforts in floods-hit Libya

TRIPOLI - The special representative of the UN secretary-general for Libya on Sunday stressed the importance of swift, coordinated and united efforts to recover from the floods that hit eastern Libya last week.

Abdoulaye Bathily made the remarks in a meeting with President of the Libyan Presidency Council Mohamed Menfi in the capital Tripoli, during which he expressed condolences on behalf of the UN after deadly floods swept the city of Derna and other areas, Bathily wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The UN envoy said he emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in the use of resources during the recovery and reconstruction process and proposed the establishment of an inclusive mechanism to oversee the recovery efforts.

Bathily also underlined the urgency for Libya to have unified and legitimate institutions to respond effectively to all challenges facing the country.

On Sept. 10, Mediterranean storm Daniel triggered the worst floods in Libya in decades, which have so far claimed at least 5,500 lives and left another 10,000 missing, according to official statistics.

Oil-rich Libya has been divided for years between rival administrations in the east and west after the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.