Lebanese dread end to subsidies as economic crisis bites

Lebanese dread end to subsidies as economic crisis bites

BEIRUT: To feed her family, Lebanese mother Sandra Al-Tawil sold her fridge and washing machine. Now she fears the cash-strapped state will scrap food subsidies, plunging them deeper into poverty. Lebanon is locked in its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, with no end in sight. The value of the Lebanese pound has plunged, driving up the price of crucial imports like food and fuel and triggering small but angry protests. More than half of Lebanon's population is poverty stricken and relies on subsidies, but a central bank demand for "an immediate plan to ration subsidies" is looming. "We're already tightening our belts. What will we eat if we can no longer buy rice or lentils?" 40-year-old Tawil said. Tawil and her husband lived a comfortable life in Dubai before returning to their homeland to open a high-end hair salon in 2019. But that dream turned to nightmare after the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic hit. "I had to sell my washing machine and fridge... just to get the minimum of daily bread and pay rent," said the mother of two young children. Her husband found a job at the start of the year, and the Beit