Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, in office for seven months, officially announced on Monday August 10 the resignation of his government, nearly a week after the astonishing explosion at the port of Beirut which left at least 160 dead, more than 6000 wounded, and destroyed part of the capital.
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Serial resignations
For several days now, the Lebanese government had faced the people's anger in demonstrations that were increasingly supported, but largely repressed by the security forces. A police officer was killed in clashes in Beirut on August 8 and several hundred protesters were injured.
The protests succumbed to violence. ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS / REUTERS
Faced with the demonstrators, who demanded " revenge " and accountability to the political class, no less than four ministers of the Diab government have resigned in recent days: the Minister of Finance Ghazi Wazni, the Minister of Justice Marie-Claude Najm, the minister of Information Manal Abdel Samad and Minister of the Environment Damianos Kattar.
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The authorities, accused of corruption, negligence and incompetence by the street - in the continuity of the popular protest launched on October 17, 2019 - have still not answered the main question: why a huge amount of nitrate Ammonium was stored at the port, right in the middle of town?
The explosion, of unheard-of violence, was actually caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored for six years at the port of Beirut " without precautionary measures ", according to Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
The explosion blew away a good part of the Lebanese capital. MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES / MAXAR via REUTERS
Rejection of an international investigation
Visiting Beirut on August 6, Emmanuel Macron had advised the political class to make a “ profound change ”, attracting the favor of many protesters. He also called for a possible international investigation to establish the circumstances of the deadly double explosion two days earlier. But President Michel Aoun, increasingly contested, rejected this latest request. And the authorities have not communicated on the progress of the local investigation.
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The international community, which for years has been calling for reforms and a fight against corruption from the Lebanese power, clearly showed, during a video conference on Sunday co-organized by France and the UN, that it no longer trusted it. . She announced that she was going " directly " to distribute 252.7 million euros in aid to the victims of the explosion. And she demanded a " transparent " investigation into the causes of the disaster that left nearly 300,000 homeless, to whom the government has provided no assistance.
The explosion destroyed half of the city of Beirut. THIBAULT CAMUS / AFP
Early elections
On Saturday, Hassan Diab said he was ready to stay in office for two months, until early elections were held in a country dominated by the armed movement of Hezbollah, an ally of Iran and the regime. of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. But early elections are not one of the main demands of the streets, as Parliament is controlled by traditional forces who have crafted an electoral law calibrated to serve their interests.
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" All means all ", have proclaimed the last two days the demonstrators, calling for the departure of all leaders. Effigies of many of them, including Michel Aoun and Hassan Nasrallah, were hung from hanged ropes during rallies.
