The authorities of eastern Libya announced on Sunday the postponement of the date of the International Conference for the Reconstruction of the city of Derna, which witnessed devastating floods on the tenth of last September, while the Libyan Government of National Unity announced the resumption of studies in 15 affected municipalities.
The preparatory committee said in a statement that the conference, which was scheduled for October 10, was postponed to November <> and November <>, for logistical reasons and in order to give companies "the necessary time to submit studies and projects that will contribute to the reconstruction process."
The postponement was made at the request of municipalities in the affected cities and areas and a number of international companies wishing to participate, according to committee chairman Saqr al-Jibani.
Despite its lack of international recognition, the government in the east of the country initially invited the "international community" to participate in the conference. But it appears to have recalculated this week, noting that it will be "open to international companies" and only Libyan.
Aerial photos of Derna in Libya (Al Jazeera)
Washington has hinted it will boycott the planned conference. US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland said in a statement that "holding a reconstruction conference in Benghazi on October 10 will be more effective if conducted jointly and comprehensively."
Resumption of studies
At the same time, the Ministry of Education in the Libyan Government of National Unity announced on Sunday the resumption of classes in 15 municipalities affected by the floods that swept the country.
In a statement published on Facebook, the ministry indicated that the students of the city of Derna, the most affected by the floods, went to the unaffected educational institutions in the towns of Karsa, Martouba and Ain Mara (east), all of which are administratively affiliated with the same city.
The ministry stated that the counting of students and their distribution to the unaffected areas is continuing.
Disaster areas
Last week, the Libyan Government of National Unity announced that 95% of educational institutions in the east of the country were damaged by floods and that 114 schools were damaged in the affected areas distributed over 15 municipalities.
Last Wednesday, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity Abdul Hamid Dabaiba issued a decision granting the Educational Facilities Authority permission to contract for the maintenance of a number of schools in the disaster-stricken areas in eastern Libya.
On September 10, Cyclone Daniel swept through several areas in eastern Libya, most notably the cities of Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Al-Marj and Sousse, in addition to other areas, including Derna, which was the most affected.