Scuffles as Lebanese Demand Better Pay

A riot unit of the Lebanese Army scuffled in Beirut on Thursday local time with dozens of protesters, mainly retired soldiers, who tried to break through giant walls surrounding Lebanon's Central Bank Building.

The violence came amid widespread anger over the harsh economic conditions in the country, where mismanagement by the ruling class has been rampant for years, preceding the economic meltdown that started in late 2019.

The retired soldiers and policemen demanding better pay scuffled with security personnel and troops, who were protecting the bank in Beirut's commercial neighborhood of Hamra.

Some of the protesters climbed on the wall and cut the barbed wire placed there, before being forced down.

The Lebanese pound hit a new low last week selling for more than a hundred and forty-three thousand pounds to the dollar before making some gains/

The pound has lost more than 95% of its value over the past three years and its official rate is fifteen thousand pounds to the dollar.

Lebanon, a small Mediterranean nation of 6 million people including 1 million Syrian refugees is in the grips of the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history.

Since the economic meltdown began, three-quarters of the population now lives in poverty and inflation is soaring.