Retired soldiers protest in Tripoli to demand improved living conditions, June 5, 2023. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — Retired soldiers and demonstrators held a sit-in in front of the main entrance to Banque du Liban in Tripoli, North Lebanon, on Monday morning, demanding their salaries be paid at prevailing lira-to-dollar exchange rate on the parallel market and that they be granted their right to hospitalization and medical coverage, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the north reported.
The protesters also called for the amendment of the lira-to-dollar exchange rate for their retirement pensions.
Many women and children also gathered at Al-Nour Square in Tripoli's city center to express support for the demands of the retired military personnel and military servants.
Women and children protest in Tripoli, North Lebanon, in support of the demands of the military personnel and retirees, May 5, 2023. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak)
The protesters stated that their move is “a cry in the face of humiliation and starvation.”
Sit-ins by retired civil servants and ex-military members have become frequent as the Lebanese lira has lost more than 90 percent of its value against the dollar over the last three years, plunging more than three-quarters of the Lebanese population below the poverty line. Meanwhile, the country remains without a president and its cabinet continues to serve in a caretaker capacity only.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak