Protesters holding a sit-in near the Environment Ministry in downtown Beirut announced on Thursday an end to their hunger strike but said their tents will remain in the area.
“We achieved our objective. We held him (Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq) accountable through street protests,” said hunger striker Waref Suleiman at a press conference.
Only one young man will continue in his hunger strike while the rest will join other activists holding street protests, he said.
“The tents will remain here as a symbol” of our protest, Suleiman added.
The young men erected tents and went on hunger strike after protesters from “You Stink” movement stormed the environment ministry earlier this month, demanding al-Mashnouq's resignation over his failure to resolve the waste crisis.
Angry protests that suddenly erupted over the government's failure to deal with the garbage crisis have evolved into the most serious anti-government demonstrations in Lebanon in years.
The protesters seek to challenge a political class that has dominated Lebanon and undermined its growth since its civil war ended in 1990.
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