{"id":105801,"date":"2021-01-29T10:39:26","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T10:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=105801"},"modified":"2021-01-29T10:39:26","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T10:39:26","slug":"lebanons-caretaker-prime-minister-condemns-tripoli-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/markets\/lebanons-caretaker-prime-minister-condemns-tripoli-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon's caretaker prime minister condemns Tripoli violence"},"content":{"rendered":"
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon\u2019s caretaker prime minister on Friday condemned overnight violence in the city of Tripoli, where protesters angry over a strict lockdown clashed with security forces and set the municipality building on fire.<\/p> Thursday was the fourth straight night of unrest in one of Lebanon\u2019s poorest cities, after the government imposed a 24-hour curfew to curb a COVID-19 surge that has killed more than 2,500 people.<\/p>\n \u201cThe criminals who set the municipality on fire and attempted to burn the court … represent a black hatred for Tripoli,\u201d Hassan Diab said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge now is in defeating these criminals by arresting them one by one and referring them to the judicial system.\u201d<\/p>\n Flames engulfed the government building after it caught fire just before midnight on Thursday. Police had been firing tear gas at protesters hurling Molotov cocktails.<\/p>\n A funeral for a man who died after being shot by a bullet on Wednesday night had given fuel to the further protests. Security forces said they had fired live rounds to disperse rioters trying to storm the government building.<\/p>\n Diab\u2019s statement on Friday did not mention the killing; Human Rights Watch has called for it to be investigated.<\/p>\n \u201cWe promise to work quickly to restore the municipality building of Tripoli so that it remains an expression of its dignity and pure heritage,\u201d Diab said.<\/p>\n The lockdown, in effect since Jan. 11, is piling extra hardship on the poor, now more than half the population, with little government aid.<\/p>\n Lebanon has been in the throes of its worst financial crisis since 2019 and anger has erupted into protests over the economy, state corruption and political mismanagement.<\/p>\n A currency crash has triggered fears of rising hunger, but Lebanese leaders have yet to launch a rescue plan or enact reforms to unlock aid, prompting rebukes, including from foreign donors.<\/p>\n Diab is steering the government in a caretaker role as fractious politicians remain unable to agree on a new administration since his quit in the aftermath of the Aug. 4 Beirut port explosion leaving Lebanon rudderless as poverty soars.<\/p>\n