More than 200 deaths and 6000 injuries, the August 4 2020 blast in Lebanon's capital Beirut really devastated the country. The tremors of the blast shook buildings 240 kilometers far in Cyprus.
A stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, the equivalent of 1,155 tons of TNT exploded at the Airport, but nobody knows how.
Property worth more than 4 billion USD was damaged in the blast. The blast caused devastating loss of human life and property and the Lebanese people are still suffering the aftermath.
Lebanon has been left without a government without a year. People have been protesting against the government, and why would they not? They are suffering and suffering badly.
The country's currency has been devalued to 5% of its value before the blast. Nobody knows if it's worth anything anymore.
The government stopped giving subsidies on necessities.
Power cuts have been frequent to an unprecedented dimension. And there is a fuel shortage, yes in a middle eastern country.
The World Bank described the country’s economic unraveling as one of the worst in 150 years.
UNICEF reports that a currency crash and hyperinflation have sunk over half the population below the poverty line, with 77 percent of households struggling to feed themselves.
People say that the ruling elites have been hampering the investigation process.
The judge who was initially in charge of the investigation was dismissed six months ago, and the one who succeeded him has not achieved any better results. And the bar is pretty low because the progress for both has been closed to none.
The victims of the blasts have been demanding to hear the truth.
When the Judge asked to interview senior officials for their alleged role in the explosion, the Minister of the Interior refused the judge's request on the grounds that the court did not have enough evidence.
People have not been heard. And, this July, to make their voices heard, the people vandalized the entrance to the headquarters of Mohamed Fahmi, the Minister of the Interior, placing photos of the victims and white coffins in front of the building. The Minister was forced to flee in an armored vehicle under police escort.
People say that the interference in the investigation is blatant and visible. And the streets have been agitated against it.
Hundreds of Lebanese took the streets on the third of August, and such mobilizations have been expected at larger numbers over the first week of August.
Although the crime is too big, people say, there have been attempts to sweep it under the carpet.
Not only the explosion but their aftermath also need severe reparations. The economic crisis, the hunger, the health crisis, the power cuts, the fuel shortages, all have a role in the devastation, far worse than at the airport.
And people are rightfully angered with the ruling elites, who have done nothing to improve on the situation.
