Lebanon government resigns amid fury over Beirut blast
- Prime Minister Hassan Diab says Cabinet stepping down, as protests continue to rock nations capital
- Deadly explosion was last straw for many ordinary Lebanese after protracted crisis over collapse of economy, endemic corruption and dysfunctional governance
Lebanon’s prime minister confirmed the resignation of his government as an outraged public demanded accountability for last week’s explosion at Beirut’s port, the biggest peacetime catastrophe in the nation’s history.
“The scope of this disaster is bigger than can be described,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a speech to a traumatised nation on Monday, after just seven months in office. He blamed a corrupt political elite for sabotaging his administration.
“Each minister gave it their all,” he said. “But some people only care about scoring political points. Their corruption has led to this disaster.”
Diab had failed to deliver on the demands of protesters who have taken to the streets since October seeking change, nor had he advanced talks with donor countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for billions of dollars in aid that a country drowning in debt so badly needs.
Beirut blast protests turn violent as security forces respond with tear gas and water cannon
Anger has surged in a nation already grimly familiar with decades of governmental malfeasance as it coped with the aftermath of a blast that killed more than 150 people, injured thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more. It was caused by 2,750 tonnes of explosive materials left for six years at the country’s main port, in spite of repeated safety warnings.