Lebanon Billionaire City Faces Poverty, Triggers Fatal Migration

A Heart‑Wrenching Tale from Tripoli: When Desperation Drives Us to the Sea

In the city where Lebanon’s wealthiest politicians call home, the poorest people are back in the thrumming grief of a fresh tragedy.
Tripoli residents mourn the loss of Mustafa Misto, a taxi driver, and his three little ones— their bodies recovered from a crowded migrant ship off the Syrian coast on September 22.

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The Catastrophe

“One hundred strangers on one dinghy,” said the transport minister, Ali Hamie, who revealed that the ship’s wreck claimed 95 lives – 24 children and 31 women.

This is the deadliest voyage yet from Lebanon, where cliffs of despair are pushing people onto precarious boats in hopes of a brighter future in Europe.

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Why He Left

Mustafa had to sell his car and even his mother’s gold just to dial up a rent check and feed his kids.
“Even a cheese for a sandwich was something he couldn’t afford,” neighbors remember.
“We all know they could die, but they still say, ‘Maybe this will be a new life’,” the cousin, Rawane El Maneh (24) said.

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The Road to the Ocean

— Desperation beats the sound of ocean waves.

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Tripoli: A Town of Two Tales

Silk‑rich politicians, silver‑lined pockets

Stone‑flint neighbors, cracked infrastructure

The divide is so stark the locals feel like the city is a “rich place wrapped in a poverty blanket.”

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The Anger that Erupted

At the funeral in the Bab al‑Ramel area, mourners shot down the city’s political elite, from the billionaire Najib Mikati to other leaders who prefer gravy to grind:
“We’re in a country where politicians just suck up money, talk, and have no regard for what people need.” — El ManehAnd maybe that resonates to the endless list of “in the same place” promises that fail to be paid.

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An Ongoing Desperation

Tripoli has been Lebanon’s most unpopular city, even before the 2022 crisis.
“The country’s “wealth” is only in hands,” said Mohanad Hage Ali of Carnegie Middle East Center.“Since the civil war, big businessmen steered away from the city. The gap is now bigger than the gulf water.”

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Takeaway: The tragedy is a grim reminder that the dream of a better life can become a nightmare when hope outweighs safety. For Tripoli’s residents, the droplet of hope is now another cruel highlight of a widening gap.

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Billionaires and poverty

Who is Mikati? The Telecom Billionaire & Philanthropist

Think of a man whose pockets were brimming thanks to telecom deals and whose name was carved into the Forbes list of the richest in the Arab world back in 2022. That’s Hamdi Mikati for you.

Brief Background

Started his cash cow in telecoms, turning every call into cold, hard gold.
Ranked as the fourth richest person in the Arab world by Forbes in 2022.

Public Face: The “Champion of Social Development”

Mikati’s office told Reuters on a Thursday that, for more than four decades, he has been the “biggest supporter of socio‑economic development in Tripoli.” Through a network of charitable foundations, he claims to have been a driving force in the city’s progress.

Empathy for the People

“He really gets how painful the crisis feels for the folks in Lebanon and especially Tripoli,” the statement added, painting a picture of a man in tune with the hardships his people endure.

From Mansion to Protest Magnet

Where else would a protest rally? At Mikati’s own seaside palace, affectionately dubbed “Mikati’s Palace.” The opulent setting has, over the last few years, become the backdrop for demonstrations where citizens voice anger at government corruption and desperate economics.

Legal Storm: The 2019 Accusation

In October 2019, a Lebanese prosecutor alleged that Mikati had engaged in illicit enrichment, diverting funds meant for subsidized housing loans aimed at poorer families. Mikati firmly denies any wrongdoing.

Powerplay or Mis‐Targeting?

His office slammed the charges as a “politically motivated smear campaign.” Notably, another judge dismissed the case earlier this year, suggesting the legal battle might be more about politics than guilt.

So, here’s the story: a billionaire telecom mogul turned philanthropist, who also finds himself drawn into the turbulence of his nation’s political arena. Whether you see him as a hero or a controversial figure, one thing’s clear—his life and work keep the headlines buzzing.

Troubled region

Tripoli’s Great Disconnect

Only about 30 % of the people in Tripoli dared to grab a ballot in the May parliamentary elections. The rest just shrugged, convinced that a fresh set of politicians would be just another notch on the political timetable of change‑less Lebanon.

The “On‑the‑Edge” City

The North of Lebanon has been rattled since the curtain fell on its civil war.
Tripoli and its suburbs have become a breeding ground for young Sunni Muslim jihadists.
The city’s security screws tightened after a sudden spike in crime—next on the agenda is Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi’s new plan.

Migration Madness

Several dozen people on the ill‑fated migrant boat swam the waters of Nahr al‑Bared—a sprawling Palestinian refugee camp—and a chunk of Syrians (roughly a million in Lebanon) were also on board.

The United Nations laments that some 6.5 million citizens are now living in poverty, a figure that has shot up due to a financial crash. The World Bank has even dubbed it a “deliberate depression” that elite powers have orchestrated through “exploitative grip on resources.”

Boats on the Rise

Last week, Cyprus rescued 477 migrants from two vessels that sailed from Lebanon.
The UN Refugee Agency reports 3,460 individuals have tried to escape Lebanon by sea this year—more than twice the number for all of 2021.

A Tragic Tale

The ill‑fated Misto boat took a woman and her four children from the northern Akkar region into tragic oblivion. The father survived, and according to Yahya Rifai (the mayor), the crisis feels “worse than the civil war.” He quoted, “I don’t know what’s wrong with these politicians… they will have to answer for this.”

Lebanon Billionaire City Faces Poverty, Triggers Fatal Migration