Libya's National Stability Govt. Prepares for Intl. Conference for Derna Reconstruction

Libya's Government of National Stability, headed by Osama Hammad, announced that it would move forward and unilaterally establish an international conference for the reconstruction of Derna after the devastating Hurricane Daniel.

The Hammad government, which does not enjoy international recognition, said that the preparatory committee visited Derna on Friday. The committee toured the venue for the conference and saw the preparations and progress made.

It thanked the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, and the head and members of the Military Security Chamber for providing all the facilities that would ensure the conference's success.

The conference is scheduled for Nov 1 and 2 in Derna and Benghazi, east of the country. Meanwhile, local media reported the arrival of Turkish aid to Tobruk port, carrying humanitarian relief after the hurricane affected several areas.

Director of the Emergency Medicine and Support Center Mohammad Kaplan announced in a brief statement the recovery of 38 bodies of victims who were missing after the storm. Furthermore, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed the head of the interim unity government, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, of his country's readiness to contribute to the reconstruction of Derna and neighboring towns.

Also, Salah Badi, one of the most prominent leaders of the armed militias in Misrata, said foreign forces have 48 hours to leave the Air College in Misrata. However, local media quoted sources as saying that foreign military officials at the Misrata military air base refused to meet Badi. They informed Dbeibeh that whoever "crosses the red line" towards the base would be a legitimate target.

In 2018, the US, UK, and France imposed sanctions on Badi, accusing him of working to undermine the political solution in Libya and being involved in the clashes that took place in Tripoli that year, killing at least 120, mostly civilians.