Lebanese gov't still missing in action as country faces precipice

ANKARA

A year after the horrific blast that tore apart Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, social and economic scars of the tragedy still remain in several areas.

On Aug. 4, the explosion of a warehouse in the Port of Beirut filled with nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate took at least 200 lives, leaving around 6,000 injured and 300,000 homeless in the massive blast.

The streets of post-blast Beirut resembled a war-zone, with neighborhoods destroyed, buildings collapsed, and roads shattered.

The city now faces a fundamental challenge after the humanitarian tragedy that coincided with a severe economic crisis and the healthcare system already buckling under the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the UN predictions, there are more than a million Lebanese, out of a population of almost 8 million including more than 2 million refugees and migrants, in need of relief to cover their basic needs, "including access to food, health, education and water."

The situation of these refugees are also deteriorating day by day, with nine out of 10 living in extreme poverty, a rise from 55% only a year before.

Amid the lack of effective government, the human crisis in the country has only worsened.

Introducing political change and economic reforms in such an environment seems to be more challenging than ever as Lebanese leaders have failed to reach a deal in talks to form a new government over the last 10 months.

Lebanon is still in a difficult place as it is running out of means to rebuild its economy.

Only hope is the people

Lebanon's economy had already been in turmoil by October 2019, nearly a year before the explosion, after which it became more vulnerable, according to researcher Nizar Ghanem.

"So now the Lebanese lira has lost 90% of its value, meaning that, for example, a teacher now gets paid at $60-$70 a month. And what we're witnessing is a fuel shortage, electricity cuts because of the whole corruption," said Ghanem, who is the research director at the Beirut-based Triangle Policy Research Centre.

Ghanem also warned of a hyperinflationary scenario, which would entail a collapse in purchasing power and a deep recession in the coming period.

In a hint of hope, he added that Lebanese people are "known for their ability to survive" due to the large number of the country's expatriates abroad.

"We have a big diaspora and each family has somebody abroad," he explained.

The only hope is the people, he said. But, amid the severe financial crisis, many could be unable resist.

"So, it's kind of like a fight with the rulers. So far, we haven't been winning, as the people. The political class has managed to actually enforce the solutions they wanted, which are basically getting the middle class and the lower class to pay for the financial crisis to transfer all the costs back to the people."

Ghanem also said that Lebanon was no longer a free country. "Seriously, we're in a very vulnerable situation. Institutionally, we're very weak. We don't have an independent judiciary and the political class has managed to get the institutions out."

A year passes

Though the reconstruction effort of Beirut's port has become a focus of international companies since the explosion a year ago, it is still far from complete.

Despite the time that has passed, no concrete progress has been made in an ongoing investigation into the blast, and the Port of Beirut still bears traces of the destruction it suffered.

Most of the container cranes in the Port remain dormant due to disrepair, while thousands of tons of debris and waste still await removal.

The Lebanese government, which resigned following the explosion and continued its duties until it could be replaced, says authority to accept project proposals for the Beirut port's would be with the new government.