Blast could not have come at a worse time for bankrupt Lebanon
Cairo — Even before the explosion ripped through his butcher’s shop on one of Beirut’s most fashionable streets, Tony Iyami was just about staying afloat.
The explosion, fuelled by a vast consignment of ammonium nitrate stored at the port despite repeated safety warnings, could not have come at a worse time for Lebanon, which is enduring its deepest political and financial crisis since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990. As fighting ebbed, former warlords became the nation’s rulers, borrowed up to the hilt and then pillaged state coffers for three decades until there was virtually nothing left. The result is often a state in name only.
Lebanon has appealed for international help as concerns mount over shortages in a nation that depends heavily on imports. Kuwait, Turkey, Germany and others have offered medical aid and assistance with rescue operations. But decades of corruption and failure to prove that Lebanon’s political class is serious about reform means donors remain reluctant to provide the government with budget support. Any aid is likely to be humanitarian or targeted at specific sectors such as health.
After defaulting on a $90bn debt pile, and before the latest disaster, Lebanon was seeking $10bn in aid to support its financial turnaround. Beirut governor Marwan Abboud has told local media the repair bill for the capital alone will be up to $5bn, which the government simply cannot afford. The areas behind the Port of Beirut were some of the trendiest in a politically turbulent city infamous for its nightlife. Packed with bars, restaurants and boutiques as well as residential apartment buildings, Gemmayze, Mar Mikhail and Saifi once throbbed with a mix of fashionable revellers and longtime residents.
The blame game has already begun. Diab, whose government was appointed in the aftermath of protests demanding the removal of a political elite that had taken Lebanon to the brink, has promised to investigate who was responsible for leaving the deadly chemical pile in storage for six years despite the danger. Critics have demanded an international inquiry into a tragedy they say will otherwise be hushed up.
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