BEIRUT —
Depositors scuffled and long lines formed at
Lebanese banks Monday as they
partially reopened after a week-long closure following a slew of heists by
customers desperate to access their money.
اضافة اعلان
But most banks
remained shut, welcoming only a handful of depositors on appointment, and there
was anger from those seeking to withdraw frozen funds desperately needed to
weather a crushing economic crisis.
At a closed
Beirut branch of Fransabank, dozens of soldiers, internal security forces
members, and customers had queued for hours.
“I don’t care about
anything, I need my salary,” one ISF member yelled from behind the locked
gates.
Banks started
imposing draconian restrictions on withdrawals after Lebanon’s economy
collapsed in 2019.
Since then, the
Lebanese pound has lost more than 95 percent of its market value, meaning
public sector salaries have slumped to as low as $40 a month.
Earlier this
month five banks were stormed in one day with depositors seeking to unlock
frozen savings, after a string of similar holdups in past weeks.
The Lebanese banks
association said Sunday that banks will reopen in a limited capacity to
businesses, educational institutions and hospitals. Many banks have also now
hired security guards.
ATMs will be
available “for everyone else,” to allow public and private sector institutions
to transfer salaries, they said.
Georges Hajj of
Lebanon’s bank employees union said that some branches did not reopen, but
those that did increased security.
“This week is a
test to see how things will unfold,” he said.
In the southern
city of Sidon, heavy security has been deployed at several banks, an AFP
correspondent reported, after a security forces member tried to get into a
BLOM bank branch by force to retrieve his salary.
In the queue
outside Fransabank, Yolla Sawan, a 67-year-old retired teacher, waited for her
appointment, hoping to withdraw roughly $130 — her bank’s maximum monthly
allowance.
“I don’t know
what will happen (if I can’t withdraw),” she said in a soft voice.
Near the bank,
more servicemen and ordinary depositors queued in front of an ATM which was
empty of any cash.
One ISF member,
who declined to give his name, said he had been waiting for two hours to
withdraw his meager salary.
“I have nothing to say, I
am drained,” he said.
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