Lebanon protests: Rival political factions clash again in Beirut

  • 2019-11-26 18:35:48
There has been a second night of violence between rival political factions in Lebanon's capital, Beirut. Gunfire was heard when supporters of caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri clashed with those of the Hezbollah and Amal movements in the Cola district. An anti-government protest camp was also ransacked in the city of Tyre. Lebanon has been paralysed for more than a month by large-scale protests fuelled by anger at the ruling elite over the ailing economy and corruption. Until now, the mass demonstrations have been largely peaceful. But with no resolution in sight, many people fear the crisis could become increasingly violent. The UN Security Council has called on all sides to exercise restraint. The source of the gunfire heard near Beirut's Cola bridge on Monday night was not clear. But a video posted online showed it erupting as groups of men on motorcycles drove around the area. The official National News Agency reported that there were clashes underneath the bridge between supporters of Mr Hariri's Future Movement, the biggest Sunni Muslim-led party, and those of Hezbollah and Amal, the two biggest Shia groups. Police and soldiers separated the two sides, it said. The Future Movement later warned its supporters to stay away from large protest sites to "avoid being dragged into any provocation intended to ignite strife". Security forces also had to intervene on Sunday night when Hezbollah and Amal supporters ransacked and destroyed tents at roadblock set up by protesters at a key road junction in central Beirut. In a separate incident, two people were killed when their car hit a barrier reportedly erected by protesters on a highway linking Beirut with the south of the country. Hezbollah said the deaths were the result of "a militia-style attack by bandits, who have been practising the most heinous methods of humiliation and terror against innocent citizens", and warned of the "threat to civil peace and social stability". The Speaker of Parliament, Amal leader Nabih Berri, condemned the incidents on the highway and in central Beirut and urged security forces to keep roads open while preserving the right to protest. UN Special Co-ordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis urged all political forces to "control their supporters". Members of the UN Security Council called on them to "conduct intensive national dialogue and to maintain the peaceful character of the protests by avoiding violence and respecting the right to peaceful assembly and protests". They also emphasised the need for the authorities to "implement meaningful economic reforms in timely fashion and under a Lebanon-owned and -led process". The protests have been the largest seen in Lebanon in more than a decade. They have cut across sectarian lines - a rare phenomenon since the devastating 1975-1990 civil war ended - and involved people from all sectors of society. Demonstrators are angry at their leaders' failure to deal with a stagnant economy, rising prices, high unemployment, dire public services and corruption. They have already forced Mr Hariri to resign, although he has been asked to stay on in a caretaker capacity. But they want more, including the overhaul of the political system and the formation of an independent, non-sectarian government.

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