Lebanon in the dark: No fuel, power cuts across the country

The Lebanon It is in the dark. a black out It is affecting rice country and it does not seem that the situation is destined to improve in the next few hours. In fact, the closure of the two main Zahrani and Deir Ammar stations caused a power outage. Both are out fuel, an increasingly scarce resource in Lebanon today. Official sources said in a statement to ReutersIt is a very difficult task and may take several days.

Lebanon without fuel

A country that suffers from blackouts today suffers from other indirect consequences A massive explosion occurred on August 4, 2020 The port of the capital, Beirut, was rendered unusable. Since then, the procurement of the main raw materials by sea has become increasingly complex. Fuel in Lebanon has been running low, even severe shortages in recent months.

The alarm has been sounded for weeks about the tightening of the national power line. It is no coincidence that in recent months most Lebanese have had light in their homes thanks to diesel generators. The power supply by the national grid on average, especially since last summer, lasted no more than two hours a day. Until the power outage today.

The problem now is that even generators are running out of fuel, whose prices are skyrocketing due to high demand and increasingly low supply. From Beirut to Tyre, passing through Sidon, Tripoli and other major cities, all Lebanese territory suffers from a lack of light and electricity.

A situation destined to weigh like a rock is already in a catastrophic state Economie. In fact, since 2019, Lebanon is on the verge of economic collapse. Banks began to lend less and less money, families lost a large part of their purchasing power, and prices for basic necessities rose dramatically. over there pandemic Then the disaster worsened. The government also saw the state’s reserves shrink and thus had to cut many expenditures. At one time, there was no money to pay to energy suppliers from abroad.

The harbor explosion did the rest. Today, local authorities are looking for sources of fuel supply. While out on the street, people try to grab as many basic necessities as possible so that they don’t run out of food.

also a political problem

Lebanon is in dire need of money. That is why the new government was formed, which entered into force on September 10 Headed by billionaire Najib Mikati. Not exactly someone liked by the crowd who, for two years, sporadically took to the streets of Beirut to protest bankruptcy of the current ruling class. However, its executive responsibility has the task of restoring international credibility and, above all, receiving several billion dollars in loans from the International Monetary Fund.

Not an easy task. Mikati has been asked for massive reforms to the Lebanese economy, and the prime minister must also deal with sectarian and internal political divisions. The issue of fuel shortages even before the blackout was a sensitive political issue. Hizb allahThe Shiite party loyal to Iran is loyal to the arrival of an oil tanker from Iran to compensate for the shortage of fuel.

A move viewed with suspicion by the United States and judged by many internal actors as an attempt by the Shiite community to gain support at the current delicate stage. In the meantime, Lebanon is dry and millions of residents will not provide any service for days.