IOM: More than 42,000 People Displaced by Floods in Libya's Derna

People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP)
People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP)
TT
20

IOM: More than 42,000 People Displaced by Floods in Libya's Derna

People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP)
People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP)

The death toll from devastating floods in Libya's eastern city of Derna has risen to 4,209 people, according to local officials.

Meanwhile, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 429 migrants reportedly lost their lives in the catastrophe caused by Storm Daniel.

It said that as of September 30, 42,045 people were displaced from areas affected by the floods.

Spokesman of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari said teams of the General Authority for Search and Identification of Missing Persons were able to recover on Thursday eight unidentified bodies from Derna.

Chairman of the Presidential Council Mohamed Menfi discussed with Ibrahim Al Arabi, Health Minister in Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), the health situation in Derna and the Green Mountain regions.

The social and psychological support team affiliated with the Emergency and Rapid Response Committee have discussed coordinating efforts between sectors to provide support to survivors of the floods.

The government had previously announced it would provide mental health support to those affected by the disaster.

The IOM said an estimated 42,045 people remain displaced after Storm Daniel made landfall in northeastern Libya on September 11.

It added that four percent of displaced individuals are in western Libya and the rest are in eastern regions.



Türkiye, Jordan, Syria, Iraq to Discuss Security Cooperation in Amman

Jordanian capital, Amman (Reuters)
Jordanian capital, Amman (Reuters)
TT
20

Türkiye, Jordan, Syria, Iraq to Discuss Security Cooperation in Amman

Jordanian capital, Amman (Reuters)
Jordanian capital, Amman (Reuters)

High-level delegations from Türkiye, Jordan, Syria and Iraq will meet in Amman on Sunday to discuss security cooperation and regional developments, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Saturday.

Last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the four countries would take steps toward jointly combating the ISIS group in the region and they aimed to hold a first meeting on the issue in Jordan, Reuters reported.

Foreign ministers will attend the meeting as well as defense ministers or military chiefs, and heads of intelligence organizations of the four countries, the Turkish diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

The officials will discuss cooperation in the areas of security, combating terrorism and organized crime, as well as regional developments, the source added.

Since the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, Western and regional countries have warned of a possible resurgence of ISIS.

Thousands of members of the militant group are being held in prison camps in northeast Syria, guarded by the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Türkiye regards the SDF and the YPG militia which spearheads the group as terrorists, and says the prisons must be handed over to Syria's new leadership and the YPG should disarm.