Lebanese protesters block roads after de facto end to fuel subsidies

By AFP 12 August 2021, 3:19 pm

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A Lebanese man kicks a teargas cannister as Lebanese army and security forces clash with demonstrators near the parliament in downtown Beirut on August 4, 2021. (AFP)

Angry residents are blocking roads across Lebanon, a day after the central bank said it could no longer afford to prop up fuel imports except at the black market rate.

As Lebanon’s economy crumbles and its foreign reserves dwindle, the decision is considered a de facto lifting of fuel subsidies. The national news agency says people blocked roads in the north, south and east of the country.

AFP correspondents saw motorists in long queues outside gas stations still open, after they rushed to fill up before the Energy Ministry officially announced the new prices. The cost of gas is expected to at least triple, according to projections by the Information International think tank.