In North Lebanon, Tripoli, hotbed of new violence

Tripoli, in North Lebanon, plunges into violence on January 26, 2021. REUTERS - OMAR IBRAHIM

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2 min

More than 220 people were injured in the city of Tripoli during violent clashes between the police and demonstrators on Wednesday for the third consecutive day protesting against the economic crisis aggravated by health restrictions.

Senior politicians have warned against an instrumentalisation of the difficult economic situation of the population.

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With our correspondent in Beirut,

Paul Khalifeh

Once again

, it was in Tripoli, in the north of the country, that the most violent clashes occurred.

Demonstrators attacked with Molotov cocktails and stones the seraglio, which brings together public administrations.

Angry youths tried to storm the building and set fire to a gatehouse and police cars.      

The forces of order, supported by the army, responded with water cannons and tear gas canisters.

Heavy gunfire was heard in the evening.   

Home of renewed protest, Tripoli is the second largest city in Lebanon.

Mostly Sunni, it is also the poorest, therefore the most affected by the economic crisis that has hit the country for more than a year.

But for Lebanon's main Sunni political figures, the unrest in Tripoli is not innocent.

The resigned Prime Minister Hassane Diab warned Wednesday against an " 

attempt to divert the demands of the population for political ends

 ". 

Same speech on the side of his designated successor Saad Hariri.

In a message posted on Twitter, he did not rule out that some "

want to exploit the suffering of people to deliver political messages

".

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