11th September 2023
The members of the Libyan Democratic Institute extend our sincerest condolences to the families of victims of the horrendous floods that have been sweeping through the valleys as a result of Hurricane Daniel, with such terrible damage and loss of life in several cities throughout the country, especially in Derna, Albida and Sousse. May Allah inspire our people with patience and solace, and we also pray to Him to save the wounded and injured people and enable them to return safely to their families and relatives.
In these difficult circumstances and this catastrophe, which is regarded as the largest and most damaging in the history of Libya, we call on the Libyan people, citizens and officials, to forget all political differences, divisions and stand united with the affected cities and areas. We do not know the number of victims or fatalities yet, but we know that tens of thousands of citizens have lost their homes. But we must be careful to preserve the dignity of the people already suffering so greatly, and not increase their suffering through the kind of invasive attention or unnecessarily intrusive, voyeuristic photography and sentiments of hypocritical sentiment that so often accompany disasters of this kind. They need real and immediate help from the international community. Not public posturing.
We also call on charitable institutions to urgently provide all possible medical, food and other assistance to the affected areas, and to provide desperately needed housing for families who lost their homes due to the cyclone. They should explore every possible urgent solution – for example, renting ships for shelter in coastal cities such as Derna and Sousse. This horror will demand creative thinking and urgent, massive action.
May Allah save Libya and its people