Libyans Protest a Week After Deadly Floods

Libyans rallied outside the Al Sahaba Mosque in Derna to protest against the government, a week after deadly floods swept the eastern city. “The devastated city of Derna demands the restoration of its rights,” one protester’s banner said, among crowds of people chanting outside the mosque. Thousands are dead with thousands more missing. Officials using different methodologies have given widely varying figures of the tolls so far; the mayor estimates more than 20,000 people were lost. The World Health Organization, WHO, has confirmed 3,922 deaths. The North African nation has two governments — the Government of National Unity — formed in Tripoli in 2021, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh — the internationally recognized prime minister. Libya's Benghazi-based parliament formed another with the same name in 2022, appointing Osama Hamad as its leader.