Libya's eastern govt postpones Derna reconstruction conference

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 scepticism.

The event 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, a coastal city where a September 10 flash flood devastated large areas and 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 the eastern city of Benghazi.

The North African country has been wracked by fighting and chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Libya is now divided between an internationally recognised Tripoli-based administration in the west, and the one in the disaster-stricken east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.