Lebanese government stops angry over Beirut’s explosion

BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Lebanese Prime Minister announced on Monday his resignation from the government, saying that an enormous explosion that destroyed Beirut and caused public disgrace was the result of endemic corruption.

The August 4 detonation at a port of what authorities said was more than 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate killed at least 163 people, injuring more than 6,000 and destroying swaths of the Mediterranean capital, destroying months of political and economic burglary.

“Today, we are following the will of the people in their demand to take responsibility for the disaster that has been hidden for seven years,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a speech announcing the dismissal.

He blamed the disaster on endemic corruption and said those responsible should be ashamed because their actions have led to a catastrophe “above description”.

“I said earlier that corruption is rooted in every lever of the state, but I have discovered that corruption is greater than the state,” he said, referring to a political elite for preventing change and saying his government is a brick wall for reform has.

While Diab’s movement sought to respond to popular anger over the blast, Lebanese politics also plunged deeper into unrest and could further hamper talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a financial rescue plan.

The talks, launched in May, were halted due to action over reforms and a series between the government, banks and politicians over the scale of major financial losses.

President Michel Aoun accepted the resignation and asked Diab’s government – formed in January with the support of Iran’s powerful Hezbollah group and its allies – to remain as caretaker until a new cabinet is formed, a television announcement said.

At the White House, US President Donald Trump said the blast had delayed what he called “a revolution,” but did not comment further.

Prior to Diab’s announcement, demonstrations broke out for a third day in central Beirut, with some protesters throwing rocks at security forces stationed at an entrance leading to the parliament building, which reacted with tear gas.

For many ordinary Lebanese, the explosion was the last straw in a prolonged crisis over the collapse of the economy, corruption, waste and dysfunctional governance, and they took to the streets to demand change of root and branch.

“The whole regime needs to change. “It will make no difference if there is a new government,” Joe Haddad, a Beirut engineer, told Reuters. “We need to have quick elections.”

The system of government requires Aoun to consult with parliamentary blocs on who should be the next prime minister, and he is obliged to nominate the candidate with the highest level of support among MPs.

Forming a government amid factionalism has been dazzling in the past. Now with growing public dissatisfaction with the ruling elite over the explosion and a devastating financial crisis, it could be difficult to find a candidate who is ready to become prime minister.

After former Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in October 2019 amid protests against anti-government over perceived corruption and abuse, it took more than two months to form Diab’s government.

Diab’s cabinet was under great pressure to resign. Some ministers had already resigned over the weekend and Monday, while others, including the finance minister, were set to follow suit, ministry and political sources said.

Diab said on Saturday he would run for early parliamentary elections.

VISIBILITY

Aoun has said that explosive material was stored unsafe in the harbor for years. In later comments, he said the investigation will consider if the cause was external interference, such as negligence or an accident.

The cabinet decided to refer the investigation into the blast to the Judicial Council, the highest judicial authority whose rulings could not be appealed, a ministry source and state news agency NNA said. The council normally deals with top security matters.

Lebanese meanwhile are struggling to meet the scale of losses after the blast devastated entire areas.

“The economy was already a disaster and now I have no way to earn any more money,” said Eli Abi Hanna, whose home and car repair shop were destroyed. “It was easier to make money during the Civil War. The politicians and the economic disaster have ruined everything. ”

The Lebanese army said on Monday that five more bodies had been pulled from the rubble, which increased the death toll to 163. Search and rescue operations continued.

Protests against the government over the past two days have been the largest since October, when angry demonstrations spread over an economic crisis rooted in intense graffiti, mismanagement and high-level irresponsibility.

An international donors’ conference on Sunday raised nearly 253 million euros ($ 298 million) in pledges for immediate humanitarian relief, but foreign countries are demanding transparency on how the aid will be used.

Some Lebanese doubt is possible change in a country where sectarian politicians have dominated since the 1975-90 conflict.

‘It will not work, they are exactly the same people. It’s a mafia, ”said Antoinette Baaklini, an employee of an electricity company that was demolished in the explosion.