The French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves le Drian called on Monday, August 10 Lebanon to " quickly form a government which will prove itself to the population ", after the resignation of the current team in power, following the devastating explosion at the port of Beirut.
Read also: Lebanon: the Prime Minister announces the resignation of the government
" The priority must go to the rapid formation of a government which will prove itself to the population and which has the mission of responding to the main challenges of the country, in particular the reconstruction of Beirut and the reforms without which the country is moving towards a economic, social and political collapse, ”the minister said in a statement.
Street pressure
In the early evening, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the resignation of his government, seven months after taking office. Hassan Diab's government was under pressure from the streets accusing the political class of being responsible for the explosion last Tuesday which left at least 160 dead, more than 6,000 injured and extensive damage.
" It is now essential that the aspirations expressed by the Lebanese in terms of reforms and governance are heard ", insisted Jean-Yves le Drian. " In these difficult moments in its history, France stands as it has always done alongside Lebanon, " he added. Thursday, two days after the explosion, French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Beirut where he called for “ a new political order ”.
Before the explosion, the anger of the population was already roaring because of a deep economic crisis that has shaken the country since the fall of 2019. On Sunday, the international community assured that it would not let down Lebanon, while demanding that aid be " directly distributed " to the population and that a " transparent investigation be carried out into the causes of the disaster ". In total, 252.7 million euros of aid - immediate or mobilizable at short notice - were collected to help the victims of the disaster.