MEDIA HIDES LIBYA FLOODS CONTEXT

Today marks 13 years since NATO attacked Libya in response to warfare that kicked off in 2011 between the Libyan government and militants.

However, the effects of that intervention still haunt what was once Africa's most prosperous country.

In September 2023, Libya suffered one of the deadliest natural disasters of recent times when about 11,300 people died and about 10,100 went missing after Storm Daniel landed on 10 September, dumping 414 millimetres (16 inches) of rain in 24 hours. The rainfall in the eastern port city of Derna caused two dams to burst, wiping out whole neighbourhoods and destroying civilian infrastructure.

In this clip, Max Blumenthal, founder of independent media outlet The Grayzone, said that former Information Minister Moussa Ibrahim Gaddafi had mentioned the dams were due for a 2012 inspection. However, after the US-led coalition attacked Libya in 2011, it was impossible to follow through with needed infrastructure work.

Blumenthal commented that US war hawks, such as Samantha Power, who worked as a senior aide at the US National Security Council, and President Barack Obama, are responsible for Libya's 2011 destruction and its aftermath. He added they must be held accountable for the flooding deaths.