After Lebanese citizens were seen fighting over powdered milk and cooking oil, brawls have also erupted on Saturday in a supermarket in the Bekaa region as the people flocked to buy subsidized commodities.
The scene of quarrels has become a routine part of life in Lebanon as citizens are being humiliated on a daily basis.
The government had tried in vain to address the situation by various measures, such as subsidizing consumer goods and prosecuting currency traffickers. Yet the collapse of the Lebanese pound has dealt a final blow to the efforts, and further financial meltdown is likely to occur.
The depletion of the central bank’s U.S. dollar reserves – which are mainly used to support the import of wheat, fuel and medication – would render the state incapable of providing the most basic services.
إشكال في سوبر ماركت رمال – شتورا بسبب المواد المدعومة ! pic.twitter.com/glpMjY44Tu
— Hassan Rkain (@hassan_rkain) March 20, 2021