Author: Dario Sabaghi

Affiliation: Freelance Journalist

Organization/Publisher: Middle East Eye

Date/Place: August 3, 2021/UK

Type of Literature: Article

Word Count: 1900 

Link:https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/lebanon-beirut-port-explosion-anniversary-families-search-answers

Keywords: Beirut port, explosion, investigation

Brief:

The writer talks about the effects left by the Beirut explosion of last August in terms of deaths, destruction, injuries and the many bereaved families who are still trapped at that moment due to the lack of accountability and knowledge of the explosion’s real cause. The explosion has exacerbated Lebanon’s suffering population, which has already been suffering due to the pandemic, the economic crisis, and the growing anger against the country’s political class in the wake of the October 2019 uprising. The writer conveys the testimonies of the victims’ families who continue to mourn their loved ones and he raises questions about how hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make fertilizers or bombs, were stored in the capital for years, resulting in one of the enormous non-nuclear explosions in history. Many Lebanese believe that justice cannot be served as long as the investigation into the explosion is at the mercy of Lebanon’s ruling class – and they have called for an independent international investigation. The writer believes that Lebanon, in its current situation, is nothing but a time bomb on the verge of exploding.

By: Taqwa Abu Kmeil, CIGA Research Assistant