Injuries mount as riots strike Lebanon amid crisis over virus
TRIPOLI, Lebanon — Hundreds of protesters in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli clashed with troops until late Tuesday leaving several injured on both sides in some of the most serious riots triggered by an economic crisis spiraling out of control amid a weekslong virus lockdown.
After a brief lull when Muslims broke their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at sunset, clashes resumed following a tense funeral for a 27-year-old man killed during riots overnight in the country’s second-largest city.
Fawwaz Samman was shot by soldiers during confrontations that began Monday night and died in a hospital hours later.
Late Tuesday night, dozens of protesters gathered outside the central bank headquarters in the capital Beirut throwing stones toward the building before Lebanese soldiers dispersed them. Protesters in other parts of Lebanon cut major roads, including the highway linking Beirut with southern Lebanon.
The protests intensified Monday as Lebanon began easing a weekslong lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tripoli, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city, is in one of the most neglected and poorest regions in Lebanon.
The violence was a reflection of the rising poverty and despair gripping the country amid a crippling financial crisis that has worsened since October, when nationwide protests against a corrupt political class broke out.
The national currency has lost more than 50% of its value, and banks have imposed crippling capital controls amid a liquidity crunch.