The 'Garbage' Uprising in Lebanon

The current Lebanese government has become so weak that it is unable to collect urban waste, which is what the protesters in Beirut are saying these days. The conflict between the March 14 coalition led by Saad Hariri and the March 8 group managed by Hezbollah and supporters of Michel Aoun has left Lebanon without a president for over a year. So far, 26 parliamentary sessions have been held to elect a president, but each time, due to the absence of Hezbollah representatives and their allies, the sessions have not reached a quorum, resulting in a historical deadlock in electing a president from among the country's Christians. Hezbollah insists on the election of Michel Aoun, while their opponents have introduced other candidates. The 'garbage collection crisis' arose after the contract of a private company named 'Sukleen' expired on July 17, and a severe disagreement over the renewal of the contract and its price emerged between the March 14 and March 8 coalitions within the government. The 'Tammam Salam' government seeks to renew the contract, but the March 8 group strongly opposes it on the grounds of high contract prices. So far, 26 parliamentary sessions have been held for the election of a president, but each time, due to the absence of Hezbollah representatives and their allies, the sessions have not reached a quorum, resulting in a historical deadlock in electing a president from among the country's Christians. Hezbollah insists on the election of Michel Aoun, while their opponents have introduced other candidates. This incident shows how Hezbollah and, more explicitly, the Islamic Republic interfere even in the smallest matters in Lebanon, such as garbage collection, leading to the paralysis of government operations. The Prime Minister of Lebanon has announced that if the issue of the contract with waste collection companies is not resolved in the coming days, he will resign from his position, thus pushing the garbage crisis in Lebanon to potentially topple the government. With the possible resignation of the Prime Minister, the political crisis in Lebanon will be complete, adding to the absence of a president the lack of a Prime Minister. For this reason, 'Tammam Salam' has stated that the current problem in Lebanon is not urban waste but political waste! In opposition to the Prime Minister's efforts, Nabih Berri, the Speaker of Parliament and leader of the Amal Movement and an ally of Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic, issued a statement saying, 'Due to the high bidding rates of waste collection companies, which will impose significant costs on the national budget, the government must reconsider its contracts with these companies.' This statement was distributed just hours before a press conference by Mohammad Mashnouq, Lebanon's Minister of Environment, who intended to tell the protesters that a garbage collection contract would soon be finalized. However, Nabih Berri's statement, representing the March 8 group, disappointed everyone. Additionally, this statement was distributed a day before the Tuesday session where the government, led by the Prime Minister, was supposed to resolve the garbage collection issue. This is the same session where 'Tammam Salam' threatened to resign if it proved unproductive. The protests that began in several central squares of Beirut last Saturday have named themselves the 'Your Stench Has Arrived' movement. This movement, initially influenced by the accumulation of garbage in the streets, especially along the coastal road, has now raised political demands, calling for an exit from the political crisis and the dismantling of the current frameworks in the confrontation between the March 14 and March 8 groups. In this context, the media from both rival groups supported this movement and directed sharp criticisms at the government. The An-Nahar newspaper, close to Saad Hariri, strongly criticized the government's security measures against the protesters and condemned the erection of concrete walls between the 'Serail' government palace in Riyadh Peace Square and the protesters, stating, 'With a concrete wall, the connection between the people and the government has been severed!' However, the March 8 supportive newspapers also seemingly supported the protesters. The As-Safir newspaper, with the headline 'Protesters Regain Strength and the Government Hides,' wrote, 'With the repression of security forces and the infiltration of violent groups among the protesters, they are trying to undermine this protest movement.' The Al-Akhbar newspaper, affiliated with Hezbollah, analyzed that 'the March 14 group must accept Michel Aoun's presidency; otherwise, after the deadlock of the government session, the country's situation will explode.' The protests that began in several central squares of Beirut last Saturday have named themselves the 'Your Stench Has Arrived' movement. This movement, initially influenced by the accumulation of garbage in the streets, especially along the coastal road, has now raised political demands, calling for an exit from the political crisis and the dismantling of the current frameworks in the confrontation between the March 14 and March 8 groups. In the past two days, protests by demonstrators and security forces have turned violent. Initially, the police responded to the protesters with water cannons and tear gas, but immediately resorted to harsher means, raising the alarm of human rights observers. Some protesters also resorted to violence, throwing stones at security forces and destroying the barbed wire set up between the police and the protesters. The leaders of the 'Your Stench Has Arrived' movement state that they do not seek to employ violent methods and that their uprising is a peaceful movement. However, some infiltrators from political parties are directing the gatherings toward violence. Among the incidents, the burning of shops and cars and then the attack on Rafik Hariri's tomb point fingers at the supporters of the March 8 group. The Al-Liwaa newspaper, close to the March 14 coalition, analyzed that the violence in these protests could be a preliminary stage for Hezbollah's reaction similar to the events of May 7, 2008. In 2008, armed Hezbollah forces seized the streets of Beirut in a coup-like action and besieged the homes of Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt, leaders of March 14. Their pretext was a law that was enacted in the government to dismantle Hezbollah's secret telephone network. This means that Hezbollah had created a special telecommunications network alongside the country's telecommunications and did not allow anyone to enter it. The Lebanese government at that time considered this telecommunications network a security threat to its citizens. However, Hezbollah used its weapons against the people of Lebanon to preserve this secret network, leading to a historical crisis that ended with the Doha Agreement. The Future TV, affiliated with Saad Hariri, also referred to the current events as a 'small May 7.' The roots of the garbage crisis in Beirut have remained unresolved since the signing of the waste collection contract in Beirut and 225 surrounding villages between the Sukleen company and the Development and Reconstruction Council affiliated with the Lebanese government in 1994. Two fundamental issues remain unresolved: first, the high waste collection rate, which reaches $102 million annually, making it the highest relative rate in the Middle East, even exceeding the waste collection rate in Rome, Italy; and second, the landfill site, which was initially designated in the 'Naameh' area southeast of Beirut but faced severe protests from local residents. Now, both the government and any company wishing to participate in the waste collection tender in Beirut must consider these two issues, especially the landfill site, which was closed due to local protests, leaving Beirut without a landfill. One proposed solution is to bury Beirut's waste in other cities, but no company is willing to accept this under the fixed price proposed by the government, facing strong backlash from citizens in those cities. Another proposal is to bury 25% of the waste in the Naameh area and recycle the rest, but this requires significant costs, and some political groups oppose covering these costs. It has been 458 days since the crisis of electing a president in Lebanon and the vacancy of this position, and it does not seem that this counting of days will end soon. However, what is clear is that Lebanon's crises are intensifying, and a simple issue like garbage has pushed the country to the brink of explosion. These oppositions seem to stem from political demands. The March 8 group is trying to use the garbage issue to solidify its demand for Michel Aoun's presidency, while the March 14 group is attempting to tell the protesters that Hezbollah and its allies are the ones opposing the waste collection mechanism and are ultimately responsible for the accumulation of garbage in the streets of Beirut. In fact, the opposition of the March 8 representatives to the government's waste collection plan on the grounds of high costs serves as leverage against the opponents of Michel Aoun's presidency to force them to accept him. Otherwise, the March 8 group will try to portray the opposing group as responsible for the garbage crisis in Beirut. Amid the ongoing presidential election crisis in Lebanon, 458 days have passed, and it does not seem that this counting will end soon. However, what is clear is that Lebanon's crises are intensifying, and a simple issue like garbage has pushed the country to the brink of explosion. In recent days, representatives of Hezbollah and the Future Movement have held meetings with each other, emphasizing the need to maintain security and peace and to avoid the country falling into violent confrontations. However, with the worsening situation in the country and the addition of regional crises such as Syria and Yemen, in which Hezbollah is heavily involved, everything may spiral out of control.