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Lebanon: clashes during cost of living protests, one dead

2020-04-29T04:38:36.249Z



Protests against growing economic hardship in Lebanon erupted in the northern port city of Tripoli, 80 km from the capital Beirut, and spread to other cities on Tuesday, leading to clashes for the second consecutive night and the burning of banks.

Read also: Lebanon announces the first default in its history

A protester was killed in the night from Monday to Tuesday in Tripoli, according to security and medical sources, while the economic crisis has fueled the movement to protest and challenge the elites accused of corruption that emerged last October.

Pressure on the economy

The containment established to curb the spread of the coronavirus has put additional pressure on the economy of Lebanon, one of the most heavily indebted countries in the world, with a collapse of the currency, rising inflation and a rate of increasing unemployment. Tripoli banks were set on fire and their façades ravaged by demonstrators, prompting the army to fire rubber bullets and tear gas.

During the evening, the protesters gathered in a large town square while, in adjacent streets, some demonstrators threw stones at the security forces. The clashes resulted in the death of a man in his twenties, said a security source, without being able to determine immediately the circumstances of the death.

In Beirut, dozens of people marched through the streets, some wearing medical masks, to protest against the financial system and to call on more Lebanese to join the protest movement. Later that day, the crowd threw stones at the security forces outside the headquarters of the central bank.

Intensified protest movement threatens to plunge Lebanon into an even deeper crisis, even as policymakers in Beirut are expected to adopt an economic support plan shortly and conduct negotiations with foreign creditors after announcing last month l inability of the country to repay its debts.

Source: lefigaro

All business articles on 2020-04-29

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