Days after a torrential downpour collapsed two aging dams and unleashed a rushing wall of water that swept parts of the Libyan city of Derna and thousands of its people into the sea, the military strongman who rules the area came for a quick visit.
Khalifa Hifter, the 79-year-old renegade commander and longtime C.I.A.
asset shook hands with soldiers, took a brief drive through Derna’s muddy streets and flew off in a helicopter.
The disaster that struck Derna on Sept. 11 has drawn renewed international attention to Mr. Hifter and his so-called Libyan National Army, a military coalition that controls the eastern half of the divided North African nation with an iron fist.
More than a week after the disaster, as rescue efforts shift to the long and costly work of caring for the displaced and helping the city recover, Mr. Hifter’s tight hold over eastern Libya has made it clear that he will be the overall arbiter of the aid operation in the oil-rich country.
Persons:
Khalifa Hifter, Derna, Hifter, Hifter’s
Organizations:
Libyan National Army
Locations:
Libyan, Derna, Libya