by bloomberg.com — Dana Khraiche and Ania Nussbaum — As French President Emmanuel Macron walked through downtown Beirut to express solidarity with a nation reeling from its worst peacetime disaster, he was hailed as a savior. The images, broadcast live around the world, are bound to stir conversation back in France, where Macron is frequently under fire for being tone deaf and his popularity is only just recovering from Yellow Vests protests and controversial reform plans. Wearing a black tie to honor those killed by a devastating explosion at the country’s main port, the French leader visited Gemmayzeh, a popular residential and commercial street where centuries-old buildings suffered extensive damage. Throngs of men and women crowded round, begging him to help lift their country, a former French protectorate, out of its misery. At one point, Macron — wearing a mask in a nation experiencing a coronavirus surge — pushed aside a bodyguard to hug a woman. “Help us. Please help us, what are you going to do to help us,” shouted one man, as he wept.
A vast consignment of ammonium nitrate stored at the port ignited Tuesday in an explosion so powerful it left behind a trail of destruction that stretched for miles. At least 135 people were killed, thousands more wounded and 300,000 are now homeless. The damage is estimated at $5 billion, money Lebanon doesn’t have. Speaking to reporters at the end of his visit, Macron called for an international investigation to determine the causes of the blast. “We need an open, transparent international probe to make sure nothing remains hidden and no doubts linger,” he said. The French leader is trying to show solidarity with the Lebanese people without endorsing a political class that led the country into financial meltdown through decades of corrruption and mismanagement — customs authorities warned long ago against keeping such flammable material in the warehouse and the fury against the administration was palpable. “Please don’t give money to our corrupt government,” one woman yelled. Macron turned to her and replied, “Don’t worry about that.” Macron promised he’ll be organizing international aid while also pushing for political change. “I came this morning to help, and I will speak to all political factions to ask them for a new pact,” he said. He refused to rule out sanctions against the Lebanese government, though he emphasized that’s not a priority at this point. He said Lebanese banks need to come clean about their losses to release international loans that are critical to maintaining food supplies. A group of seven explosive experts are in the country to aid investigators in their probe into the blast. Medical aid and civil defense teams are in place. The French helicopter carrier `Le Tonerre’ will arrive next week with more supplies.
Macron’s welcome speaks volumes about the ruling elite of Lebanon that’s largely shied from such highly publicized walkabouts, and couldn’t be more different from how Macron’s been greeted in other former colonies on recent visits. It points up the French president’s ambition to position himself as a global leader in a region where Russia and the U.S. have held the balance of power in recent years and Turkey is flexing its muscles. When former Prime Minister Saad Hariri toured the downtown area to see the damage for himself, he met with a group of angry people cleaning up rubble and helping those in need. And Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm was met with shouts of “resign, resign, don’t you have dignity?” as she attempted to visit shattered homes. As residents followed her, she tried hiding in one of the damaged buildings before the army came to her rescue. Other officials, including President Michel Aoun, inspected only the port.
by Reuters — Lebanese authorities investigating a Beirut explosion that killed more than 150 people have taken the general manager of a port and 15 others into custody, sources say. State news agency NNA said 16 people were taken into custody, with a judicial source and local media saying Beirut Port general manager Hassan Koraytem was among them. The Prime Minister and presidency have said 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years without safety measures at the port warehouse that blew up. Judge Fadi Akiki, a government representative at the military court, said authorities had questioned more than 18 port and customs officials and others involved in maintenance work at the warehouse, NNA reported. “Sixteen people have been taken into custody as part of the investigation,” NNA quoted Mr Akiki as saying. He said the investigation was continuing. Earlier, the central bank said it froze the accounts of seven people including Mr Koraytem and the head of Lebanese customs.
The directive, dated August 6, from the central bank special investigation commission for money laundering and terrorism fighting said the decision would be circulated to all banks and financial institutions in Lebanon, the public prosecutor in the appeals court and the head of the banking authority. It said the freeze and lifting of banking secrecy would apply to accounts directly or indirectly linked to Mr Koraytem, Lebanese customs director-general Badri Daher and five others, including present and former port and customs officials. State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat ordered a travel ban on the same seven individuals, a judicial source and local media reported. Mr Koraytem and Mr Daher had both told Lebanese broadcasters on Wednesday that several letters had been sent over the years to the country’s judiciary requesting the removal of highly explosive material stored at the port, which blew up on Tuesday.
Anger mounts on the streets of Beirut.
As the Lebanese army took control of the blast on the first day of a two-week state of emergency, angry crowds began to gather in the streets demanding an end to a “regime” of Lebanese politicians they blame for corruption and dragging Lebanon into disaster. As the Lebanese army took control of the blast on the first day of a two-week state of emergency, angry crowds began to gather in the streets demanding an end to a “regime” of Lebanese politicians they blame for corruption and dragging Lebanon into disaster. There was a small but violent protest near an entrance to parliament in central Beirut, where riot police deployed after some demonstrators burned objects and hurled rocks at security forces blocking the entrance, footage from local broadcasters showed. At the port, families sought news about the missing. Dozens are still missing after the blast that injured 5,000 people and left up to a quarter of a million homeless, hammering a nation already reeling from economic meltdown and a surge in coronavirus cases. More bodies were expected to be retrieved in ongoing search and rescue operations in and around the port.
There were growing calls inside and outside the country for an independent investigation into the disaster that caused up to US$15 billion (AU$20.8 billion) worth of damage to the capital. “They will scapegoat somebody to defer responsibility,” said Rabee Azar, a 33-year-old construction worker, speaking near the smashed remains of the port’s grain silo, surrounded by other mangled masonry and flattened buildings. “Our leaders are crooks and liars. I don’t believe any investigation they will do,” said Jean Abi Hanna, 80, a retired port worker whose home was damaged and daughter and granddaughter injured in the blast. An official source familiar with preliminary investigations blamed “inaction and negligence” for the blast. Many Lebanese, who have lost jobs and watched savings evaporate in the financial crisis, said the blast was symptomatic of political cronyism and endemic corruption among the ruling elite.
Macron says explosion should be ‘start of a new era’
French President Emmanuel Macron called for an international inquiry into the blast during a two day visit to the devasted capital city. Mr Macron promised to help organise international aid but said Lebanon’s Government must implement economic reforms and crack down on corruption. “If reforms are not carried out, Lebanon will continue to sink,” Mr Macron said after being met at the airport by Lebanese President Michel Aoun. “What is also needed here is political change. This explosion should be the start of a new era.” Wearing a black tie in mourning, Mr Macron toured the blast site and Beirut’s shattered streets where angry crowds were demanding change.
“I see the emotion on your face, the sadness, the pain. This is why I’m here,” Mr Macron told one group, promising to deliver “home truths” to Lebanon’s leaders. One man amid the crowd of protesters remarked that a French President had taken time to visit them, while Lebanon’s President had not.
Amal and George Clooney Donate $100,000 to Lebanese Charities in the Wake of the Beirut Explosion
Amal and George Clooney are donating to three charities in Lebanon after the massive explosion in Beirut that killed over 100 people and injured at least 5,000
Beirut blasts: Dubai’s DP World donates $100,000 to Lebanese Red Cross
