A crowd of surviving people gathered Monday afternoon in front of Al-Sahaba Mosque in Derna demanding the overthrow of the House of Representatives and its Speaker Aqila Saleh, and the Municipal Council of the city of Derna, holding them responsible for the extent of the damage and the number of victims because of their corruption.
The protesters called on Libyans in the rest of the country to take to the streets and protest against the existing political bodies, and to consider the Derna disaster as a starting point for change, expressing their pride in the popular stance in support of Derna, and appreciating the world’s sympathy with them, especially the rescue teams' work.
The protesters called on the Attorney General to investigate the city’s calamity and hold those who neglected Derna accountable, stressing the need to dismiss and replace the steering council of the city, as well as to refer it for investigation.
The residents, in the city where Storm Daniel hit the hardest leaving thousands dead and other thousands missing, confirmed that the Municipal Council was imposed on the city despite its people's rejection.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the HoR, Aqila Saleh, was the one who personally appointed Abdelmonem Al-Ghaithi as Chairman of the Steering Council of the Municipality of Derna, shortly after Haftar’s forces had taken control of the city in late 2018.
