Lebanon is in mourning and it is angry. The responsibility for the 2,700 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate that exploded in a factory on the port of Beirut lays in the corrupt hands of a self-serving government that the people have been fighting to overturn for decades.
On August 4th, Lebanon saw an explosion like no other. Now at the time of writing this 140 people are dead, 5,000 have been injured, and 80,000 children have been displaced according to estimations from UNICEF.
Anger is mounting in Lebanon in the wake of the disastrous explosion which rocked Beirut to its core on August 4th. Around the world, people are questioning how this could have happened.
Onlookers and the massive diaspora of hopeless Lebanese around the world who watched this travesty from the safety of their homes couldn’t help but question, why were these highly dangerous chemicals stored at the port? The same port that is responsible for 80% of Lebanon’s food supplies being imported into a country that was in the midst of the most crippling financial crisis it has ever faced.
2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored, based on a court order, without any regulation, for six years. The disaster wasn’t just waiting to happen, it was under the noses of an entire city.
The same government responsible for this disaster are now exonerating themselves, saying that they didn’t know the chemicals were that dangerous, demanding survivors remain silent and ruthlessly detaining those who have taken to the streets to demand reform.
As the devastation continues to reverberate through Beirut, Lebanon, and the world, there’s no doubt the city’s anti-regime contingent will only grow in volume.
Please consider contributing to the ongoing disaster relief fund here.
