Caretaker Minister Safadi signs 20 billion LBP compensation decree for Tripoli

Caretaker Minister of Finance Mohammad Safadi announced on Friday that he had inked a decree to provide an advance payment of twenty billion LBP from the treasury for the Higher Relief Committee to be paid in compensation to the people affected by the security events in Tripoli.

Caretaker Minister Safadi said that the Lebanese state's duty is to pay compensations to all people affected, hoping that calm would prevail in the northern Lebanese city.

He concluded by saying that "it is high time to drop strife in Tripoli and to accelerate development in the city."

The port city of Tripoli has long been a stronghold of Sunni Islamists in northern Lebanon.

But the city has become increasingly volatile in recent months due to the civil war in neighboring Syria, where the Sunni majority is leading a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Clashes erupted in Tripoli on Sunday the 19th of May between pro-Syrian regime supporters in the predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen and pro-revolution fighters in the Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh leaving at least 35 persons killed, including 3 LAF members, and more than 300 others wounded.

Violence between the two areas stretches back to decades, but the recent round of fighting was the heaviest.

On Sunday the 26th of May, clashes eased significantly, while sporadic gunshots were still heard occasionally as Lebanese Armed Forces deployed in al-Kobbeh and Rifa regions, and headed towards Syria Street.

Caretaker Minister of Finance Mohammad Safadi announced on Friday that he had inked a decree to provide an advance payment of twenty billion LBP from the treasury for the Higher Relief Committee to be paid in compensation to the people affected by the security events in Tripoli.

Caretaker Minister Safadi said that the Lebanese state's duty is to pay compensations to all people affected, hoping that calm would prevail in the northern Lebanese city.

He concluded by saying that "it is high time to drop strife in Tripoli and to accelerate development in the city."

The port city of Tripoli has long been a stronghold of Sunni Islamists in northern Lebanon.

But the city has become increasingly volatile in recent months due to the civil war in neighboring Syria, where the Sunni majority is leading a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Clashes erupted in Tripoli on Sunday the 19th of May between pro-Syrian regime supporters in the predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen and pro-revolution fighters in the Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh leaving at least 35 persons killed, including 3 LAF members, and more than 300 others wounded.

Violence between the two areas stretches back to decades, but the recent round of fighting was the heaviest.

On Sunday the 26th of May, clashes eased significantly, while sporadic gunshots were still heard occasionally as Lebanese Armed Forces deployed in al-Kobbeh and Rifa regions, and headed towards Syria Street.