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Kuwait bans charities sending funds to Lebanon

November 15, 2021 at 4:14 pm

Lebanon’s Information Minister Georges Kordahi in the mountain village of Bkerki, Lebanon on 30 October 2021 [ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images]

Kuwait today stopped all requests for charities wishing to make money transfers to Lebanon due to the country’s “political and financial instability”, Al-Jarida newspaper reported today.

According to the paper unnames sources said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added Lebanon to the list of countries to which the transfer of donations is suspended.

“The Ministry of Social Affairs received a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stop all requests from charities wishing to make financial transfers to Beirut through its humanitarian work system until further notice, until the situation stabilises,” the sources said.The move was taken as “Kuwait fears any economic collapse in Beirut will wipe out the donations money.”

Lebanon's Information Minister, George Kordahi criticised for his comments defending the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, saying they were acting in "self-defence"- Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

Lebanon’s Information Minister, George Kordahi, is criticised for his comments defending the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, saying they were acting in “self-defence”- Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

The measures come as Kuwait has withdrawn its diplomat from the Lebanon and expelled Beirut’s envoy from the Gulf state after footage from August showed George Kordahi – who was appointed information minister the following month – describing the war against Yemen as one of aggression by the Saudi-led coalition, branding the conflict as “futile” and said the Houthis were acting in “self-defence”.

READ: Lebanon’s Information Minister says ready to resign amid crisis with Gulf States