CIHEAM Press Review

Libyan-based Dr Jamila Rizgalla, head of the Department of Aquaculture at the University of Tripoli, talks about her journey into the aquaculture sector and how she is working to progress aquaculture development in her country

CAIRO: At least 2,300 people were killed in Libya and thousands more were reported missing after a powerful Mediterranean storm triggered devastating flooding in the city of Derna. Ossama Hamad, prime minister of the east Libya government, said earlier that deaths had exceeded 2,000 and thousands were missing in the city, as many were believed to have been carried away after two upstream dams burst. Libyan emergency services on the ground reported an initial death toll of more than 2,300 in Derna alone and said more than 5,000 people remained missing while about 7,000 were injured.

Developing a strategic plan for national food security is a primary goal for his ministry in 2023, Ministry of Economy and Trade Mohamed Hwej said Tuesday. He was speaking at a meeting of the Supreme Committee to Develop a Food Security Strategy held at the headquarters of the National Council for Economic and Social Development in Tripoli.

‘Ferocious strength’ of storm that caused Libya’s devastating floods was powered by climate change, scientists say.

Libya is one of the driest countries in the Middle East-North Africa region, which is itself home to eleven of the fifteen driest countries in the world. The average annual rainfall in Libya is less than 26mm, with rain mainly in the winter months, and occasionally in early spring, around this time of year. When it does rain, it tends to be in short downpours. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) believes that about four million Libyans, half of them children, will face serious water problems unless the issue is tackled soon.

Stretching as far as the eye can see, groves of gnarled olive trees in northwest Libya have proudly withstood the country's devastating conflicts. But the industry of extracting olive oil, often dubbed "green gold", is now under threat after Libyan authorities halted exports in a bid to "protect" local produce.