Beirut: A City in Turmoil

By Habib Bacha, Managing Partner, UAE

As we all know, on Tuesday Beirut was rocked by a massive explosion in the port. The explosion destroyed large swaths of the city and left at least 137 people dead, around 5,000 injured and several hundred thousand people displaced, with their homes destroyed. For the people of Beirut this couldn’t have come at a worse moment, severe economic and political turmoil coupled with the crippling impact of the Covid-19 has, to put it bluntly, made an already bad situation, much worse. Not least because the port is a crucial lifeline for the City. Often dubbed the ‘Paris of the Middle East’, Beirut is no stranger to its fair share of strife, however, possibly not since the civil war of the 1970’s and 1980’s has the city looked in such bad shape. 

The Lebanese have always had an incredible talent for resilience especially in times of strife and it is this that I wanted to focus on. I have been checking in with friends and family across the city and I have been truly humbled by the stories of generosity and solidarity that the people of Beirut have shown each other despite this terrible tragedy. Against an already dire backdrop where people are struggling just to get by, families have opened up their homes to strangers whose homes have been destroyed, struggling businesses and hotels are offering shelter and accommodation. People across the city have mobilised to get food, water, medical supplies and are donating blood to those in need. Whole neighbourhoods have taken to the streets to clear up the rumble and glass, everyone is pitching in. 

We often talk cynically about people’s ‘spirit in a time of crisis’ but we are seeing real world examples that, despite its problems, makes Beirut a great city.