Posted in: 29/04/2022 – 16:24
Receipt of requests for citizens wishing to obtain new passports in Lebanon has been suspended, according to the country’s General Security announced Thursday, due to the huge demand for its request and the lack of funding to purchase new quantities of them, in a country where half of the population aspires to emigrate.
The Lebanese General Security, the body responsible for issuing passports in LebanonOn Thursday, he suspended receiving requests from citizens wishing to issue new passports because his stock of passports is regarding to run out due to the huge demand for them and the lack of funding needed to purchase new quantities of them.
A statement by the General Directorate of Public Security included in a statement that since 2020, “it has witnessed great pressure on passport applications, exceeding tens of times in previous years, which affected its passport inventory.”
And she added that, since the beginning of 2021, she had tried to secure the necessary additional quantities and asked the government to “accelerate securing the necessary funding to achieve the project”, but “to date, the contracting company has not paid the value of the signed contract, which led to the postponement of the delivery of the required quantity to Public Security, at a time when the quantity began The available passports are running out.
Accordingly, the General Directorate of Public Security suspended, according to the statement, “working the passport appointment platform (…) until those concerned take the necessary action and secure the funds required to implement the contract concluded with the company.”
The statement indicated that “everyone who has an appointment on the platform will be granted a passport according to the date given to him previously.”
It is noteworthy that Lebanon has been going through an unprecedented economic crisis since 2019 in the country’s history and one of the worst crises in the history of the world since 1850, according to the World Bank. As the national currency lost more than 90% of its value, regarding 80% of the Lebanese people plunged into poverty.
Unprecedented economic collapse, insecurity and the deterioration of basic public services caused a large number of families and young people to migrate. A survey conducted by the Arab Barometer in April showed that nearly half of the Lebanese aspire to emigrate.
FRANCE 24/AFP
