TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The coffee and snack stands that were shut earlier this month by police were removed to make way for new kiosks that could be rented out by the vendors, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi said Sunday in a visit to the area.
A decision by north Lebanon’s Governor Ramzi Nohra to evict all the vendors from Tripoli’s Mina coast area two weeks ago drew anger from the vendors, who complained that the work was their only form of income.
The vendors and their supporters protested Tuesday by closing the Mina highway.
“I assure you: the mistake that was made by quickly removing the kiosks without ensuring any altenrative will be corrected,” Rifi told the vendors.
“The project that Governor Nohra wants to implement in coordination with the Interior Ministry is good and a beneficial for you, but the experts should quickly complete it.”
Nohra told The Daily Star last week that the removal of the kiosks was due to complaints by citizens that the vendors were trespassing.
“No one will be able to change the current fact until the new plan for the Cornish is implemented,” Rifi said, implying that the vendors will not be allowed to erect their kiosks.
According to a report by LBCI, an average of three young men used to work in each of the approximately 100 kiosks, which served coffee, tea, shisha and some snacks.
“This project neither targets poor people, nor those with low incomes that work for their livelihood,” Rifi said. “It rather seeks to organize their work and develop it towards the better.”
Rifi called on the vendors to form a committee that would follow up on the procedures, and prevent the project from getting stuck in bureaucratic routine.
Tripoli’s economic hardships have been highlighted since last month when the Army clashed with jihadists in the city, causing massive material damage including the complete destruction of some buildings.
Officials have warned that high rates of unemployment and poverty have been pushing youths in the city toward religious fundamentalism and militancy. While the government had announced an economic development plan to accompany the security plan, the city’s residents say nothing has materialized.
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