90 political parties announced in a joint statement on Wednesday their support for the demands of the residents of Derna. The demands were made during a massive protest last Monday after the ravaging damage following Storm Daniel that led to the collapse of the Wadi Derna dams, the loss of thousands of lives, and huge losses in public and private property.
The political parties that signed the statement hailed the efforts of Libyan citizens in support of their fellow citizens in the affected areas, which expressed the extent of their interconnectedness away from attempts of division and fragmentation, in addition to the efforts of countries and international and local organizations, which contributed to rescue operations and recovering the bodies of the victims.
They stressed the need to intensify efforts to complete rescue operations, recover the victims, and harness the capabilities to search for the missing and determine their fate as quickly as possible, expressing respect for the will of the people of Derna, as they demanded their right to reconstitute the new municipal council from the well-known people of the city, and providing appropriate financial support to the new steering council to be able to address the conditions of those affected, provide them with decent livelihoods, and demand that the High Elections Commission expedite the election of the new municipal council for the city as soon as possible.
The statement added that it was necessary to accelerate the reconstruction process of the city, in accordance with its geographical, cultural and historical nature, taking into account the participation of the city’s residents in the reconstruction processes in all its stages, while calling on the media and social media platforms to adhere to the language of solidarity and synergy, and to work to mobilize energies and efforts to alleviate the suffering of those affected.
They expressed respect for the right to peaceful demonstration, which is guaranteed by the Constitutional Declaration and protected by law, and called on the security services to respect it. They also urged the demonstrators to stay away from sabotage and infringement on public and private property."
The parties called on everyone to work continuously with patience and perseverance, and to follow maximum self-restraint, avoiding being drawn into any form of violence, falling into provocative, hateful and incitement speech, and giving priority to the interest of the nation and the citizen over narrow interests.
Derna witnessed massive demonstrations on Monday demanding the departure of political bodies, especially the House of Representatives, stressing tree e need to exclude it from the efforts of rebuilding the areas destroyed by the storm.
