The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit has underscored the critical need for comprehensive international support for Libya.
This came during his speech at the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Arab-African Partnership Coordination Committee. This was held in New York, on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Aboul Gheit confirmed the urgency of intensifying cooperation between the Arab League, and the African Union across various fields. This collaboration is in preparation for the upcoming 5th Arab-African Summit, scheduled for November and hosted under the auspices of Saudi Arabia.
In a separate context, Aboul Gheit also addressed the complex situation in Sudan, and its adverse impact on the Sudanese people and the nation’s stability.
He highlighted that the crises in Libya and Sudan “present significant challenges that require comprehensive international support.”
On 10 September, a devastating storm swept through several eastern regions of Libya, notably the cities of Derna, Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Al-Marj, and Sousse. This resulted in significant destruction and led to the loss of thousands of lives, injuries, and missing individuals.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres has called a flood that killed thousands in Derna, Libya a “symbol of the world’s ills.”
“Even as we speak now, bodies are washing ashore from the same Mediterranean sea where billionaires sunbathe on their super yachts,” Guterres said in the opening of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, on Tuesday.
“Derna is a sad snapshot of the state of our world – the flood of inequity, of injustice, of inability to confront the challenges in our midst,” he added.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that the floods in northeastern Libya have forced an estimated 43,059 individuals to flee their homes.
In a recent report, the IOM said the scarcity of water supply has been a driving factor behind the displacement of many residents from Derna towards eastern and western municipalities. This shift has contributed to a decrease in the overall number of displaced individuals within Derna itself.