The Demonstrators’ Sorrow: Lebanon crisis

The dreadful port explosion in Beirut on Tuesday left 158 people died and thousands of in an injured state. The explosion was caused because of 2700 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate stored for six years in the warehouse in the port according to the government.

Several thousand protestors crowded the city capital to vent out their anger at the government. They are blaming the administration for the deadly explosion that turned the city into a disaster zone. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Dian on Saturday said he would propose early to break the unrest plunging in the country both in political and economic arena. The government is in crisis after Sunday as key ministers have resigned over the protests. First citizens going through the currency crisis, the explosion, the loss of their homes, the political agreement has fallen miserably short.

Lebanese people have been struggling to feed their families even before the explosion that has hit like salt to the wounds. The situation is extremely critical as 50% of the Lebanese population is below the poverty line. Only two hours of electricity is provided in the country with negligible wages no bread and water and billions of debt the third most indebted country in the world calls out for help.

The frustration on the street is almost daily now from October against high living cost no minimum wages and governments corruption. Police is directly repressing the protectors coma blouse tear gas at them which which has been escalating the tensions after the explosion. The local currency has lost 80% of its value in the black market. Lebanon is under humanitarian crisis. Its economy is broken apart. Government mis management and corruption are rampant. Since October Lebanese Bank have put limits on people to withdraw money of their own. Successive governments have failed to provide basic amenities. The national unity is the only gain for Lebanese.

In 1990 after the 15 year of civil war the Lebanon started digging into Dept to rebuild its economy. The Lebanese pagal dbt is 170 % of its GDP. The classification of its economy is 80% imports and 20% production in the country. The government is alleged to spend on unuseful things whose burden directly comes on the shoulder of a Lebanese person.

Many countries of the world including United States and France and organisations like IMF have come forward to help to the Lebanon people. Donald Trump in one of his statements said that the the benefit should go directly to the the people. That was evident during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Beirut on Thursday. As he offered words of condolence and support, some pleaded he keep Lebanon’s government out of any recovery efforts. “We hope this aid will go to the Lebanese people, not the corrupt leaders,” one man told the French leader.

It seems many countries are abiding by the general request to avoid the government. For example, Australia pledged $1.4 million to the United Nations’ World Food Program and the Lebanese Red Cross, and others, like France, Germany, and Russia, are sending search-and-rescue and medical teams to assist civil society groups.

From the start, an international committee of Lebanese and international experts should investigate how 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate — the suspected fuel for the explosion — could have been stored at such a vital port for six years. Normally, government officials would undertake such a probe, but that’s just not an option in this case.