Libya: 12 Officials Sentenced Over Collapse Of Dams

A court in Libya has sentenced 12 current and former officials to jail terms of up to 27 years over their involvement in the collapse of two dams last year that led to massive flooding, which killed thousands of people.

The two dams outside the city of Derna broke up on September 11, 2023, after heavy rain across eastern Lybia. The flooding that followed destroyed entire neighbourhoods and swept people out to sea.

On Sunday, The Derna Criminal Court convicted 12 current and former officials of mismanagement, negligence and mistakes that contributed to the disaster. The defendants were responsible for managing the country’s dams.

According to a statement from the office of the country’s top prosecutor, the sentenced officials were given prison terms ranging from nine to 27 years, while four others were acquitted. “Three of the defendants were ordered to return money obtained from illicit gains,” the statement added.

A Yugoslav construction firm built the dams in the 1970s. They were built above Wadi Derna, a river valley that splits the city, to guard against flash floods, which are common in the region. However, the dams were neglected for decades despite warnings from experts about their potential to fail.

A 2021 report from a state audit agency revealed that although over $2 million had been allocated for maintenance in 2012 and 2013, the responsible agencies and officials failed to maintain the dams.

The flood of water from the dams resulted in extensive damage to as much as one-third of Derna’s residential and infrastructural areas, according to the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The World Health Organisation has reported over 4,000 deaths related to the flooding. However, the head of Libya’s Red Crescent previously estimated the death toll to be around 11,300. OCHA also noted that in addition to the confirmed fatalities, there were at least 9,000 people reported missing.

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