Libya’s GNU Pledges to Reconstruct Flood-Ravaged 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)
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Libya’s GNU Pledges to Reconstruct Flood-Ravaged 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)

Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, the head of Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), pledged on Tuesday to rebuild the flood-affected areas in the east of the country.

He said his government is capable of completing the reconstruction works in Derna and the rest of the al-Jebal al-Akhdar cities in the east of the country, where a hurricane-strength storm lashed the area on September 10, devastating entire neighborhoods and sweeping thousands of people into the sea.

Dbeibah also underscored the importance to tackling the psychological repercussions of the affected population.

Speaking at a conference on mental health and psychotherapy in Tripoli, he said the country “has experienced very difficult circumstances, and previous governments neglected psychological support.”

On Monday, Dbeibah met with the UK Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, James Hebbey, to review Libyan-British cooperation on training and the fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile, head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi called for the formation of a post-disaster management team to deal with the aftermath of the floods.

During a meeting of the National Planning Council, he said the team should include experts and specialists in various fields to deal with the current situation in Libya and take appropriate and rapid decisions.

Also in Tripoli, Menfi’s two deputies, Moussa al-Kouni and Abdullah Lafi said they discussed with US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland and Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations Anne Witkowsky the latest developments in Libya and ways to develop cooperation mechanisms between Tripoli and Washington in many areas, especially in holding elections, and achieving reconciliation and development.

Separately, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) on coordination and cooperation in managing and securing Libyan borders and in fighting against border crimes and terrorism.



Abbas Denounces Israeli Gaza Offensive at UN, Insists: 'We Will Not Leave'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024.   REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Abbas Denounces Israeli Gaza Offensive at UN, Insists: 'We Will Not Leave'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024.   REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The head of the Palestinian Authority denounced Israel and its offensive in the Gaza Strip in front of world leaders Thursday, appealing to other nations to stop what he called a “genocidal war” against a place and people he said had been totally destroyed.
Mahmoud Abbas used the rostrum of the UN General Assembly as he typically does — to criticize Israel. But this was the first time he did so since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that triggered an Israeli military operation that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
Abbas strode to the podium to loud applause and a few unintelligible shouts. His first words were a sentence repeated three times: “We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave.”
He accused Israel of destroying Gaza and making it unlivable. And he said that his government should govern post-war Gaza as part of an independent Palestinian state, a vision that Israel’s hardline government rejects.
“Palestine is our homeland. It is the land of our fathers and our grandfathers. It will remain ours. And if anyone were to leave, it would be the occupying usurpers," The Associated Press quoted him as saying.
A nationwide series of campus protests against Israel's operations in Gaza swept the United States in the spring and largely originated at Columbia University, about 70 blocks north of the United Nations.
“The American people are marching in the streets in these demonstrations. We are appreciative of them," Abbas said.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 96,000 others, according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Health Ministry.

Abbas spent big chunks of his speech at the United Nations talking about the state of life in Gaza, and he painted a bleak picture.
"Entire family names have been written out of the civil record," he said. "Gaza is no longer fit for life. Most homes have been destroyed. The same applies for most buildings. ... Roads. Churches. Mosques. Water plants. Electric plants. Sanitation plants. Anyone who has gone to Gaza and known it before would not recognize it anymore.”
Among his demands, none of which are new: A full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip — not “buffer zones.” Allowing Gaza's displaced Palestinians — an estimated 90% of the population — to return to their homes. And a central role for Abbas' government in any future Gaza.
“Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop killing children and women. Stop the genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people in Gaza and the West Bank.”