Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Sept. 13, 2021 (Credit: Anwar Amro/ AFP via Getty Images)
BEIRUT — The caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi promised "a rapid intervention" against anyone manipulating prices and stocks of bread at the end of a meeting on food security and the bread crisis. The meeting was held at the Interior Ministry this afternoon and was attended by the National Defense Minister Maurice Selim, Economy Minister Amin Salam and representatives of the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces and the Lebanese Army.
Here’s what we know:
• During the meeting, Mawlawi stressed “the need to restrain all violators.” He added that “the security forces will be intervening to control those who manipulate the sale of the citizens’ sustenance and cause a crisis.”
• For several weeks, Lebanon has been experiencing bread shortages and long queues at bakeries.
• On May 6, the World Bank’s board of directors approved an emergency loan of $150 million for Lebanon to finance wheat imports, but the newly elected Parliament has yet to ratify the agreement with the World Bank.