After floods: major concerns about cholera outbreak in Libya After storms in Darna: aid workers urge better arrangements

Following the devastating floods in Libya, there are concerns about a possible outbreak of the gastrointestinal disease cholera in the civil war country. International aid workers speak of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation” and chaotic conditions in the partly destroyed city of Darna in the east of the North African country.

“Coordination of aid is urgently needed,” the organization Doctors Without Borders reported on Friday evening. Your first emergency response team has been on site since Thursday. The survivors now urgently need shelter, food and basic medical care due to concerns about cholera and a lack of clean water, UN Emergency Response Coordinator Martin Griffiths said in Geneva.

According to the Arab News newspaper, the Health Ministry in the capital Tripoli in the west of the country warned that there was groundwater in Darna that was contaminated with corpses, carcasses, waste and chemicals. “We urge people not to go near the wells in Darna,” Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Arabi said.

Catastrophic humanitarian situation

The country, torn by civil war, is effectively divided; In addition to the government in Tripoli, there is a second government in the east of the country. The two camps are enemies and sometimes provide conflicting information about the disaster situation in Libya. The rivalry also makes it difficult to coordinate relief efforts.

Dozens of children have already fallen ill in Darna due to contaminated water, the head of the National Center for Disease Control told the Al-Wasat news site on Friday. The 55 children were said to be from families displaced by the devastating floods. In the coastal city, drinking water was mixed with wastewater. “After a disaster like this, we are very concerned about the spread of disease through contaminated drinking water,” said Manoelle Carton, medical operations coordinator for Doctors Without Borders. The scale of the problem is still difficult to estimate.

Overall, the situation in the disaster area remains confusing. “There are many volunteers from home and abroad,” reports Carton. “Everyone wants to help, but it is too much, it becomes chaotic.” There are many resources on site, but to visit the different parts of the city and see what is needed where, you will be stuck in traffic for hours. There was a lack of agreement, said the head of operations at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

“The humanitarian situation in Libya is catastrophic. The needs exceed the capacities of all international organizations and local authorities working in Libya,” spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Libya, Bashir Omar, told the German News Agency. In addition, MSF coordinator Carton reported on numerous people in need of psychological support. “Everyone is asking for it, people on the street, doctors, people who have seen terrible things and people who have lost their entire family.” (sda/dpa)