How Years of War and Political Chaos Left Libyans Vulnerable to Deadly Flooding

According to Jalel Harchaoui, an associate fellow specializing in Libya at the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, Haftar views the city and its population with suspicion, and has been reluctant to allow it too much independence. Last year, for instance, a massive reconstruction plan for the city was led by outsiders from Benghazi and elsewhere, not natives of Derna. “Tragically, this mistrust might prove calamitous during the upcoming post-disaster period,” Harchaoui said.