A Libyan court on Sunday sentenced 12 current and former officials to prison terms of up to 27 years for their roles in the collapse of two dams last year, which resulted in a catastrophic flood in the coastal city of Derna, killing thousands.
The two dams outside Derna failed on September 11 after being overwhelmed by Storm Daniel, which brought heavy rains to eastern Libya.
The dam failures sent a massive wall of water through the city, submerging up to a quarter of it, destroying neighborhoods, and sweeping residents out to sea.
The Derna Criminal Court found 12 officials guilty of mismanagement, negligence, and errors that contributed to the disaster, as stated by the country’s top prosecutor’s office.
The convicted officials, who oversaw dam management, received prison sentences ranging from nine to 27 years.
Additionally, three of them were ordered to return money obtained through illicit means, though specifics were not provided. Four other individuals were acquitted.
The verdicts can be appealed in a higher court, in accordance with Libya’s judicial procedures.
Libya has experienced ongoing chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and led to the death of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Since then, the country has been divided, with rival administrations claiming leadership, each supported by different armed groups and foreign governments.
The east is controlled by Gen. Khalifa Hifter and his Libyan National Army, aligned with a parliament-confirmed government, while a rival administration in Tripoli has broader international recognition.
The dams above Wadi Derna, built by a Yugoslav construction company in the 1970s, were intended to protect the city from flash floods. However, they had not been maintained for decades despite warnings from scientists about their potential to burst.
A 2021 state-run audit report highlighted that over $2 million allocated for dam maintenance in 2012 and 2013 had not been utilized.
The U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that up to one-third of Derna’s housing and infrastructure was damaged by the floods.
The World Health Organization registered over 4,000 flood-related deaths, while the Libyan Red Crescent reported a death toll of 11,300, with at least 9,000 people still missing according to OCHA.
