LEBANON IS ON FIRE
Already suffering; the situation is now beyond dire
Even before the huge explosion which sent shockwaves through Beirut and around the world, the people of Lebanon were living in dire circumstances. A fluctuation in the currency almost collapsed the economy and left a large percentage of the population unable to afford basic food items.
The explosion close to the port of Beirut caused the death of at least 135 people, seriously injured over 5,000 people, rendered hundreds of thousands homeless and has destroyed the port which is the main entry point of food for Lebanon; tens of thousands of tonnes of grain reserves were destroyed in the explosion leaving the country extremely vulnerable to food insecurity.