Lebanon: A tale of woe

Lebanon, fondly known as the Pearl of the Middle East is unfortunately no stranger to tragedies. They have faced a prolonged brutal civil war, a foreign occupation, revolutions and assassinations of important political leaders. So, the beautiful myth of Lebanon as a would-be paradise was shattered well before the latest blow to the city that has been grappling with many crises. It is currently recovering from what might be it’s worst economic crisis since the civil war and an explosion that sent shock waves across the world, destroying much of the city’s port, claiming lives and damaging property all through the capital and plunging the country further into the crisis state.

On the afternoon of 4 August 2020, two explosions rocked the port of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The explosions were tremendously powerful and left the city in ruins, and caused at least 171 deaths, 6,000 injuries, billions in property damage, and left over 300,000 people homeless. The explosion was detected as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 the effects of which were felt in Turkey, Syria, Israel, and parts of Europe and was heard in Cyprus more than 250 km away.

Videos and testimonials from Beirut during and after the time of the explosion are positively heartbreaking. Right when the disaster struck, people around the city were getting married, giving birth, going through important, glorious stepping stones of their lives. What should’ve been one of the happiest days of their lives darkened as soon as the explosion struck. What should have been a fond memory, turned into an intense trauma both physical and mental due to governmental corruption and negligence. Everyone is still trying to pick up the pieces of their broken city which is till today shedding glass,tears and the blood of their loved ones.

To know what caused this woeful tragedy, we will need to go a little back into the country’s past.

The economy of the state was in a state of crisis long before the explosions, with the government having defaulted on debt, the plunging of the pound and the rising poverty rate. To make matters worse, the COVID-19 pandemic had overwhelmed the country’s hospitals , several of which were already facing tons of difficulty due to the financial crisis. In 2013, a ship loaded with 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stopped at the Lebanese port. Lawyers representing the crew said in 2015 that the ship had stopped at the Beirut port with ‘technical problems’. The ammonium nitrate, a fairly common cargo on the oceans, was confiscated and stored in one of the warehouses at the port for 6 years in unsuitable climatic conditions. Despite customs officials sending repeated letters to judges requesting a resolution to the issue of the confiscated cargo, no action was taken.

According to some, the fire was ignited by few of the workers carelessly welding a door at the warehouse. It still remains unclear whether fireworks , ammunition or other items which were stored near the chemical might have worsened the warehouse fire, igniting the ammonium nitrate which had been sitting in the warehouse for six years. The explosion along with taking lives, overturned cars,stripped the frame of the buildings, completely destroyed the port as well as a good part of the shoreline.

This is just the direct cause of the accident. It does not take a conspiracy theorist to devise the explanation that involves Lebanon’s frequent antagonists. It is not a point of doubt that Hezbollah plays a murky role at the port of Beirut. And Israel has concentrated on interrupting Hezbollah arms smuggling across the border. The port, if it houses Hezbollah arms depots, then becomes an easy irresistible target for Israeli sabotage, setting off the conflagration that killed scores and injured thousands.

Another floating theory is that Hezbollah could have initiated these deadly explosions to divert the attention from the August 7 verdict of the Special Tribunal of Lebanon which would have effectively indicted four of Hezbollah operatives. The verdict has now been postponed to 18th August, 2020. But it is still quite a leap from providing murderers for hire to intentionally destroying a large section of the state capital at tremendous human cost.

The deaths haven’t been pinned on anyone so far as it is quite plausible for it to have been an accident at the port which was the initial, more mundane theory. It is quite consistent with the fact that Lebanon does suffer from a deep, self inflicted rot. If this holds true then the Lebanese government is culpable for, at the very least, extreme neglect and carelessness.

Coming to the aftermath of this disaster, the explosion has fueled popular outrage against the leaders and security agencies of the country leading to quite a bit of pressure on the government. The blasts really shook up the country’s political system which is widely derided as deeply dysfunctional. Following the latest and most dangerous manifestation of the corruption and negligence of the country’s leaders, clashes and protests erupted across the city’s center. Anger at the country’s politicians was tangible , and many protesters carried signs reading “hang up the nooses.” Many more gathered together and protested, yanking down barricades and throwing stones at the security forces who then retaliated with flooding the area with tear gas,shooting rubber bullets and more violence. Fires erupted in nearby buildings, sending up smoke, and sirens screamed as ambulances rushed the injured people to the hospital.

Amidst the mounting anger, the Lebanon government resigned on 10th of August, 2020. Now the country will be tasked with selecting its third prime minister in less than a year, to deal with the spiraling crises Lebanon faces on a number of fronts. This disaster has left 250,000 to 300,000 people without homes. This neglect, corruption and gross mismanagement by the government took out all but a month’s worth of Lebanon’s grain reserves, which were purchased with dwindling resources in the middle of a financial crisis. The situation is so horrendous that one can hardly blame Lebanase if they hasten to find an exit from their once beautiful but seemingly doomed country instead of staying put.

Conspiracy theories aside, whatever might be the cause, its effects will be felt for a long time. The recovery of the country will have two aspects, one humanitarian and the other political. As for the humanitarian aspect, the missing people have to be accounted for, the wounded need to be nursed back to health. The need to alleviate mass hunger is urgent since most of their food supplies were destroyed. Beirut’s medical care has taken quite a hit since most of them are overrun with patients from the blast and clashes while others sustained so much damage that they are not fit to treat patients. With lakhs of people without homes, temporary shelters and makeshift houses have become a necessity. Along with all this, the mental health of the people has taken quite a massive hit. This intense trauma will also need to be dealt with.

As those herculean efforts proceed, political aspects also need severe restructuring. There needs to be a detailed investigation to find those responsible for the disaster. This can’t be another regular government undertaken probe due to massive, widespread distrust. An early election needs to be conducted so that the country can begin to move forward and figure out ways to come out of this economic crisis, mobilize accountability and change the face of their country’s politics.

It is needless to say that Lebanon can use all the assistance it can get. It is astonishingly amazing to see how countries from across the globe have lent a helping hand and have done their part in helping Lebanon, considering the toll COVID-19 pandemic has had on the entire world. It is in times like these, when the world comes together in efforts to uplift the distressed, that people’s faith in humanity is restored. Granted, Lebanon is a long way from finding even a shred of stability, it is on the path of recovery. It’s going to be a slow journey but hopefully the future will start looking promising soon.