Benghazi, Libya — Libya’s eastern authorities Sunday announced the postponement of a reconstruction conference for the flood-hit city of Derna that had been planned for October 10 but was met with international skepticism.
The conference was put off until November 1-2 to “offer time for the submission of effective studies and projects” for the reconstruction effort, the committee charged with planning the meeting said in a statement.
The divided country’s eastern administration last month invited the “international community” to attend the conference in Derna, much of which was devastated by a September 10 flash flood that killed thousands.
The authorities later said that the conference would draw in international corporations, and on Sunday the committee said the postponed event would be held in both Derna and Benghazi.
The North African country has been wracked by divisions since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
Libya is now divided between an internationally recognized Tripoli-based administration in the west, and the one in the flood-stricken east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.