Warnings are increasing in Lebanon of an imminent social explosion, as a result of the worsening living and economic crises and the feeling of citizens that they alone bear the burdens of the financial deficit and reforms. In this context, security reports – the details of which were published by the “Lebanon 24” website a few days ago – confirmed the existence of serious indicators of the possibility of a large-scale popular movement in a number of Lebanese regions, against the backdrop of the continuing deterioration of living conditions and the economic pressures faced by families. Reports showed a noticeable increase in the level of tension amid fears that it would turn into actual protests in the street. The relevant Lebanese authorities were placed in the atmosphere of these warnings and the issue is being seriously monitored for fear of accelerating popular movements.
In the loaf sector, the head of the Union of Bakeries and Bakeries Unions, Captain Nasser Sorour, warned that the rapid rise in the prices of fuel, wheat and flour will inevitably lead to an increase in the price of a loaf of bread, given the up-and-down link between the cost of production and the raw materials and the exchange rate according to the platform agreed upon with the Ministry of Economy. He explained that the price of a ton of diesel rose last Friday to $1,500 compared to $1,430 the week before, regardless of the increases in the prices of wheat and flour. Sorour stressed that the sector cannot bear these insane increases in the cost of production, nor bear them on the citizen alone, considering that the solution lies in direct government support for the loaf, which is almost impossible financially unless friendly countries take the initiative to provide donations of wheat and flour, calling for urgent action to confront the repercussions of continued wars and energy and transportation disturbances on the markets.
On a related level, the Student Transport Drivers Syndicate in Lebanon denounced the authorities’ continued policy of indifference towards the fuel crisis and the cost of transportation in conjunction with the start of the new academic and university year, without developing any serious solutions that would ease the burdens on students, families and drivers. The union indicated in a statement that the authority did nothing in the face of the significant increase in operating costs, as if it was not concerned with the additional burdens imposed on families. Drivers face more pressure than they can handle, and transportation allowance increases directly impact students and their families. The union stressed that what is required goes beyond making promises and monitoring prices to taking actual and urgent measures to reduce the cost of fuel and transportation, stressing that continued neglect is no longer acceptable before the student and driver pay the price for this inaction.
