Libya : “In seconds everything changed”: Justice and redress elusive for Derna flood survivors

In September 2023, the city of Derna in eastern Libya witnessed unprecedented and catastrophic flooding after Storm Daniel – an extreme weather event made more likely and intense by global warming – triggered the collapse of two ageing dams upstream from Derna. The torrents of water killed at least 4,352 people, left thousands of others missing, washed entire neighbourhoods into the sea, and devastated the lives of tens of thousands of survivors who lost their loved ones, homes and livelihoods. Six months on, truth, justice and adequate reparations for all survivors remain elusive.