The number of dead as a result of flooding in Libya caused by Hurricane Danielle has exceeded 8 thousand people, more than 10 thousand residents are missing, Al Arabia reports.
“The death toll from the natural disaster in northeastern Libya has exceeded 8 thousand people. The number of missing people now exceeds 10 thousand,” a Libyan parliamentary advisor said in a statement.
Abdulmenam al-Ghaite, head of the municipality of the city of Derna, which has taken the brunt of the flooding, said it was predicted that the death toll from heavy rains and flooding could rise to 20,000.
The number of people who died as a result of flooding caused by Hurricane Danielle, which raged in the Central Mediterranean in eastern Libya, exceeds 2 thousand people, reports TRT Haber TV channel on the night of September 12.
It is emphasized that as a result of the natural disaster that swept the east of the country, more than 2 thousand people were killed and almost 7 thousand people are missing. The cities of Al-Baida, Sousse, Al-Marj and Derna were flooded. A curfew has been imposed in areas where a state of emergency has been declared.
Libya’s Prime Minister called on the international community to provide aid to flood-affected areas. Three days of mourning have been declared in the country.
IAEA inspectors found that about 2.5 tons of unenriched uranium stored at a site in Sebha, 660 kilometers southeast of the Libyan capital Tripoli, has disappeared, the Associated Press (AP) reported Thursday, citing the agency.
“Security inspectors found last Tuesday that 10 barrels containing approximately 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of uranium ore concentrate were no longer at the declared site in Libya. The agency will take action to clarify the circumstances surrounding the removal of nuclear material from the site,” the AP cited excerpts from an IAEA statement.
The day before IAEA Director General Raphael Grossi informed member countries about the situation in Libya.
According to AP, each ton of these substances, given the appropriate technology, can be processed into 5.6 kilograms of weapons-grade material needed to build an atomic bomb.
Since the overthrow and assassination of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Sebha has been in a state of powerlessness, with an illegal migration route through the city and, according to the UN, cases of slave trade recorded in Sebha. In recent years, the city has been largely controlled by the Libyan National Army of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, with rebels from neighboring Chad also present.
Altogether, according to various estimates, Libyan authorities accumulated about 1,000 tons of uranium concentrate during the Gadhafi rule (1969 – 2011). In 2003, after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, he disclosed to the international community the workings of Libya’s nuclear program, and in 2009 international inspectors removed the last stocks of enriched uranium from the country. However, according to the UN, in 2013 Sebha stored about 6,400 barrels of uranium concentrate.
Ports of “Big Odessa” on Thursday sent 221 thousand tons of agricultural products in the framework of the “Grain Initiative”, said the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.
“Today a caravan of five ships left the ports of “Big Odessa”, which will deliver 221 thousand tons of agricultural products to Africa, Asia and Europe, including the bulk carrier Sea Bridle with 25 thousand tons of agricultural products for Libya,” the Ministry noted.
According to him, since the beginning of the grain corridor 12 ships with 305 thousand tons of Ukrainian grain to this African country.
The Ministry noted that there are 29 vessels in the ports, involved in the “grain initiative”. More than 1 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products are loaded on them.
“Grain corridor” is also moving two vessels for the loading of 89 thousand tons of agricultural products.
At the same time in the Bosporus 92 vessels are waiting for their turn to be inspected by the SCS. Over the past day, seven ships received approval for further movement after the inspection.
According to the information of the Ministry of Infrastructure, at least 12 inspections per day are required for continuous movement through the grain corridor.
A total of 574 vessels have left the ports of Greater Odessa since August 1, which exported 14.6 million tons of Ukrainian food to Asia, Europe and Africa.
The State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection has agreed with Libyan experts on the form of an export veterinary certificate for the supply of milk and dairy products, the State Food Service said in a press release.
“Less than two weeks ago, a very productive meeting with the Charge d’Affaires of Libya in Ukraine, Adel Benissa, took place at the State Food and Consumer Protection Service, and today we have very good news for Ukrainian dairy producers about the opening of the export market,” head of the agency Vladyslava Mahaletska said.
She clarified that the possibility of exporting sunflower oil, grain, fruit and berry products from Ukraine to Libya is being considered. The forms of international veterinary certificates for the export of cattle, poultry and products from it have already been agreed.
As reported, Ukraine in April agreed with Argentina the form of an export veterinary certificate for the supply of milk and dairy products to this country.
Ukrainian agricultural products in 2020 gained access to the markets of 12 countries. Some 35 export certificates have been agreed, two EU audits have been passed concerning state control over the production of fish, poultry and products made of them.
According to the State Consumer Service, in 2021, work continues to expand exports in various commodity items, including poultry, livestock, beef and pork, milk and dairy products, honey, apples, blueberries and cherries, legumes, onions, wheat flour, fish and fish products, reproductive material.
Referring to the decisions of the UN Security Council, international and regional organizations that have recognized the legitimacy of the Presidential Council and the government formed by it (i.e. Government of National Accord) as the only legitimate representative of the executive power in the State of Libya.
Haftar’s declaration of war and the offensive of his troops on the capital city Tripoli is a coup against legitimacy and political consensus.
In the frame of current events, the Government of National Accord emphasizes the following:
– The immediate need to stop the bloodshed in Tripoli and to insist on the return of the aggressor forces to where they came from;
– Attacking the capital by missiles and warplanes, and the recruitment of young people born in 2002-2003, are violation of all international laws and norms of international and humanitarian law;
– The destruction of infrastructure and the bombing of Mitiga International Airport in the heart of Tripoli, at peak hours, terrorizing passengers, all constitutes a clear violation and a crime that is punishable under international law, and are actions prohibited by all international norms.
– The Government of National Accord will submit to the local and international courts all perpetrators and those involved in the actions that caused the death of people and the destruction of public and private properties.
The Government of National Accord calls on the UN Security Council and the international community to urgently intervene by assuming their historical responsibility in order to stop this aggression and deter the perpetrators. At the same time, it stresses that the path of peace is the only way to solve the Libyan crisis through the national gathering that is proposed by the UN special envoy to Libya, to build a democratic civil state and reject the military state.
Finally, the Government of National Accord asserts that this conflict is not a regional or ideological conflict, and that will never be drawn into that. And renews its call for all Libyans throughout the country to give priority to the interests of the country, to unite and work together to overcome the current crisis in Libya.
Embassy of the State of Libya in Ukraine
