The multiple crises hitting Lebanon are on the rise

While Lebanon is more and more polarized since the explosion in its port in 2020, the protest movement continues timidly.

Here, a protester on August 4, 2021 in Beirut.

© AFP -

Text by: Paul Khalifeh Follow

3 min

For the second time in a month, the Lebanese authorities increased fuel prices by 25% on Wednesday.

All aspects of daily life are affected by the crisis, which has become more complex.

The deep political differences between the main parties are reflected in a rise in tensions on the ground and a return to the language of civil war.

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From our correspondent in Beirut,

The new rise in fuel prices angered the Lebanese who closed many roads across the country on Wednesday.

Groups of protesters blocked lanes in Beirut and Tripoli in the north, but also the coastal highway that connects major cities.

The anger of the Lebanese is understandable: the price of gasoline has increased by 550% since June.

Fuels have almost become a luxury item: a 20-liter can of gasoline is worth 44% of the minimum wage, which equates to $ 34 per month.

► 

Also to listen: 

Agnès Levallois: "The Lebanese are bloodless with this economic crisis"

Due to the economic crisis, the country loses its elites

This new increase in gasoline and fuel oil prices will inevitably cause a surge in the prices of consumer products which have already increased considerably due to the collapse of the Lebanese pound, which has lost 80% of its value against the dollar. .

These figures perfectly illustrate the extent of the crisis that has hit Lebanon for two years and which has pushed 80% of the population below the poverty line.

Faced with this situation, tens of thousands of Lebanese have chosen to leave.

The haemorrhage mainly affects medical, academic and highly qualified personnel.

Lebanon is emptying of its elites.

► 

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Exacerbation of tensions between Christians and Shiites 

The crisis that is hitting Lebanon has also been

classified by the World Bank

as one of the worst in the world since 1850. It is accompanied by a rise in political and religious tensions, which complicates matters.

The exacerbation of tensions between Christians and Shiites raises fears of a return to civil war, especially after the

incidents of October 14

, which left 7 dead and around 30 injured in the ranks of pro-Hezbollah demonstrators.

Lebanese army soldiers take up positions in the Tayouneh district, in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut on October 14, 2021, after clashes following a demonstration by supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal movements.

AFP - JOSEPH EID

Hassan Nasrallah demanded that the shooters be arrested and brought to justice.

He demanded an explanation of what he calls failures on the part of the security forces supposed to protect the demonstrators.

After the broadcast of a video showing a protester shot dead by a soldier, the army sacked its chief of operations on Tuesday.

Calm has returned to the field, but heated speeches between Hezbollah officials and those of the Lebanese Forces Christian party show that the problem remains unresolved.

How to alleviate the impact of the crisis?

The newly formed government is paralyzed by political tensions and no longer meets for fear that the contradictions within it will shatter it.

He is undermined by differences over the judge in charge of

investigating the double explosion at the port of Beirut,

Tarek Bitar.

The Shiite parties demand the replacement of the magistrate whom they accuse of being "

politicized

" and "

selective

".

In the name of the separation of powers, President Michel Aoun refuses his dismissal.

Unless there is a compromise, the situation seems hopeless.

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