The New Arab Voice cover image

The New Arab Voice

Libya’s Unnatural Disaster: How Derna was left to drown

Oct 13, 2023
32:23

The residents of the Libyan city of Derna are sadly no strangers to tragedy. They have seen war and violent militant groups ravage their town. But the recent environmental disaster that struck was a new terrifying horror.

In the early hours of 11 September, after hours of torrential rain, the two dams outside Derna broke, sending a torrent of water in the heart of the city. 

Entire buildings were washed away. Thousands were killed, and thousands more simply disappeared.

This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the flood that destroyed a city, and the moments that were missed, when tragedy could have been avoided. 

Joining us, we speak with Johr Ali (@JOHRALI), a Libyan journalist from the city of Derna who now lives in exile in Istanbul.a Libyan journalist from the city of Derna who now lives in exile in Istanbul.

Also, Emadeddin Badi (@emad_badi), a Libyan researcher and a non-resident senior fellow with the Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council (@AtlanticCouncil).

And Malak Altaeb (@MalakLibya1), a Libyan environmental researcher and non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst) in Washington.

This podcast is written by Nadine Talaat (@nadine_talaat) and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). 

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode