On 14 and 15 September, heavy rains in Libya’s southern city of Sebha caused significant damage to infrastructure and people, with local authorities reporting at least two deaths and 33 injuries among residents. Homes have reportedly been submerged in floodwater and sewage, and the Sebha Municipal Council urged all citizens to follow safety instructions to avoid further incidents.
On 15 September, the Government of National Unity (GNU) issued a number of statements reassuring all Libyan citizens that Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba has taken prompt action to address the emergency, establishing an Emergency and Rapid Response team under Badr al-Din al-Toumi ‘to take the necessary measures and procedures in the southern region’.
The same day, the Government of National Stability (GNS) issued two statements in which it announced it had formed its own Emergency and Rapid Response Committee for the city of Sebha and the cities and regions of the southwest. The Committee is under the GNS Ministry of Labor and Rehabilitation and includes a number of ministers and heads of bodies in the GNS. The GNS also stressed that Prime Minister Osama Hammad ‘issued his urgent instructions to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Electricity and the competent authorities to quickly deal with the crisis’.
On 15 September, the NOC announced it had sent a medical convoy to Sebha. The convoy includes medicines and medical equipment, and was organised by the NOC Oil Clinic and the Sustainable Development Department. The Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, the NOC subsidiary in charge of fuel supply, also stated that it has sent a convoy transporting trailer pump equipment and advanced maintenance equipment to enhance water suction operations at the Sebha fuel depot. Flooding at the depot has prevented fuel and cooking gas from being distributed.