Lebanon Crisis
- kirandeesh kaur
- Aug 29, 2020
- 4 min read
Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, lately witnessed a massive explosion that killed about 70 people and injured 3700, leaving the heart of the country mourning. It was more than just bricks and cement, an added disadvantage to the country’s already dipping economy.
The blast had immediately overwhelmed the hospitals nearby: destroying about 50 hospital beds meant for the treatment of COVID, and landing it dysfunctional in the upcoming days that surfaced a steep rise in death toll. About a hundred people were seen inked with blood, with several being carried on stretchers.
The interior minister of Lebanon notified that the cause of the explosion was irresponsible handling of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been illegally stored for future usage since 2014. It paralyzed the existing disorderly deep-rooted political and economic crisis in the country, propelling the Lebanese towards a state of despair, and pressed hard on hospitals already suffering from COVID.
The country is awaiting international help that had been denied for a long time, adhering to its incompetence, and the corruption in the system. Rankling many heads is a question that blames the government for keeping a highly explosive substance stored for a significant period right next to the country’s city center.
Even before the explosion, Lebanon was in an extremely critical state; only 50 percent of the population was above the poverty line, families who had been evicted from their shelters barely managed to gather enough food to suffice themselves for a day, a haunting darkness had spread throughout the country due to improper electrical supply, and inflation rates were surmounting.
IMF had extended a helping hand, but had to succumb to its initial take due to the lack of corroboration on the loss incurred, which, according to the Government, was alleged to be 241 trillion Lebanese pounds, while the Parliament in the bank reported it to be far less than the sum. In the views of the country’s Economic Minister, the Parliament should realize the essentiality of funds for combating the crisis as the only solution that Lebanon could’ve afforded at the time.
Deliberating over its potential investors, China and Iran, the Minister stated that no investor would contribute even a single penny without not anticipating it back, and that the economic state of Iran does not grant it eligible. The local currency has lost 80 percent of its value in the Black Market, food prices have skyrocketed, leaving people from all walks of life in a grave danger of starvation, and a humanitarian crisis has emanated. As per statistical data, Lebanon stands third on the list of the most indebted nations evident from its failure to make a payment of 1.2 billion dollars for foreign bonds, the first such fault in Lebanon’s history. The rampant corruption in the nation has had the citizens’ money in jeopardy. Since October, banks limited the amount of dollars that people could withdraw from their accounts, and with the local currency losing its value, the consequences of such an undertaking were disastrous.
Consecutive Governments have failed to provide the most basic services, like garbage collection, to the public. Critics target the sectarian Democracy as the leading cause behind the political class becoming patrons at framing policies that safeguard their sects’ interests. In October 2019, Lebanon witnessed the greatest uprising of all times, alleging the patriarchs to have caused division along regional lines. The then Government resigned following the protest, but people still seem discontented with the new government, accusing them of purposely staying out of touch.
With a hundred thousand people already jobless, the COVID Crisis hit the nation particularly hard. The healthcare system was already underfunded, and the unprecedented crisis made the status even worse. Meanwhile, the doctors blamed the Government for its inability to devise a national plan to counter the situation. The situation in the country may be a lot better than the other surrounding nations, but it has allowed the country to spiral down towards an absolute economic fallout.
Hundreds of businesses have already been shut down, and the state of bankruptcy prevalent in the nation is rendering it ill-equipped to survive the massacre. The President of the United States offered financial help to the victims of the shocking explosion, but it didn’t surpass the status of ‘Just an offer’.
Lebanon had survived two wars in the past, absorbed a million refugees in the most convenient manner, but every time it tries to rebuild itself, it meets the face of another tragedy. Kilon Yany kilon!- meaning ‘All Politicians Go’, has been the only song playing in Lebanese heads, hinting at the Government’s inability to keep its very own nation from going hungry and jobless.
Let the voices of those resigning from their jobs, to attain a certain objective by advocating on the streets, be explicitly heard. Let the rising collective conscience at a moment wherein it is wanted the most, prevail above all.
More power to the Lebanese!
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*Credit for the cover image for this article goes to Galiba Anjum.
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