On September 26, prime minister-designate Mustapha Adib resigned after failing to form a non-partisan cabinet for nearly a month. This is a massive blow to the French initiative which had aims of rallying the sectarian leaders since the 1975-90 civil war.
This follows the Beirut blast on August 4 that killed at least 200 people and injured about 5,000 others. Lebanon was already facing difficulties due to the pandemic and an economic crisis that pushed tens of thousands of people into poverty.
On August 5, following public outcry, then Prime Minister Hassan Diab said his government was taking "a step back... to stand with the people, in order to wage the battle of change with them".
Discontentment has been brewing in Lebanon for long. In 2019, a plan to tax Whatsapp calls resulted in mass protests against the government's corruption which led to the stepping down of the ruling cabinet. The government that came after that has been brought down for similar reasons.
During protests following the blast, the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF), The ISF, Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and Parliament Police were deployed. They used excessive and sometimes lethal force on mostly peaceful protests. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented the use of live ammunition, rubber bullets and metal pellets by security forces causing injuries to approximately 700 people. Forces also used excessive amounts of tear gas, firing it directly at protesters and even beating them up.
Adib's cabinet formation efforts fell apart after leaders of two main Shi'ite groups - Amal and Iran-backed Hezbollah - demanded they name ministers immediately.
Many leaders have expressed concerns over Lebanon's stability following Adib's resignation.
Written by Anushree Appandairajan
Artwork by Zara Masood
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