When Faten Dandashi heard her nephew Omar Tayba, 27, had been shot on Wednesday evening in Tripoli, she didn’t believe what she was hearing.
Tayba was not the type to take to the streets, and his aunt never thought security forces would fire live ammunition at protesters.
"I was joking with my sister and told her it was nothing," she said. "But as hours passed, I realised that his condition was critical."
Tayba died around 4am on Tuesday morning after a bullet perforated an artery in his back, an official medical source in Tripoli said. He was shot during violent protests spurred by a strict lockdown and deteriorating living conditions.
In their home in the rundown neighbourhood of Bab El Tebbene, his family huddled together to mourn his death, praying and serving local meat pies and coffee to visitors.
"They were shooting to kill, we saw the videos," Ms Dandashi told The National. "How are we supposed to trust the government now?"
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) said in a statement published on Thursday that they fired live rounds in self-defence after some demonstrators attacked them in front of a government building.
“Security forces are sorry that acts of vandalism, attacks and criminal acts resulted in one casualty,” the statement read. It did not mention Tayba by name.
The ISF did not clarify the circumstances of Tayba’s killing, but his family said he was peaceful and unarmed.
Like many young Tripolitans, he took to the streets to vent his frustrations at poor living conditions and a lack of government aid amid a 25-day strict lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“They say our children are thugs, but it's the politicians who are thugs. They kill us, beat us, starve us. They bear the responsibility for Omar’s death,” said his cousin Dounia Derbas, 56.
“He was just a young guy who wanted to live in dignity.”
Tayba was unemployed, despite searching for work both in Lebanon and Turkey.
Tripoli, Lebanon’s second biggest city and one of its poorest, is no stranger to sporadic violence.
Last April, Fawaz Fouad Al Saman, a 26-year-old protester, died from wounds sustained during clashes with the army. It was the third death related to nationwide protests that began in October 2019.
Though the anti-government movement wound down after a few months, its causes remain.
Lebanon has been suffering from its worst-ever economic crisis for over a year. More than half the population lives in poverty. Political infighting has left Lebanon without a fully functioning government for the past six months after a deadly blast rocked Beirut’s port.
On Monday, protests kicked off again in the northern city of Tripoli. Demonstrators repeatedly attempted to storm government buildings, with some of them attacking security forces with molotov cocktails and rocks. Security forces responded with teargas, water cannon and rubber bullets.
On Wednesday local TV networks showed footage of security forces firing live ammunition. A total of 226 people were injured that night.
"How are we supposed to trust the government now?" said Ms Dandachi, tears running down her cheeks.
Since the beginning of lockdown on January 14, small protests have erupted across the country, but Tripoli has drawn the largest crowds.
The killing of Tayba has deepened anger and distrust towards the government.
“It’s true there was violence,” protester Adnan Abdullah said on Thursday. “But does that mean young people throwing rocks deserve to be shot at with live ammunition?”
Mr Abdullah was part of a small group of people standing outside a local hospital where wounded demonstrators had been taken in previous days.
He said he expects violence to intensify as Lebanese grow more desperate.
“Look around, all those young men are jobless and the government has done nothing to help us. They can’t see a future here.”
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
