Guns in Lebanon should be in the hands of its army only

Lebanese soldiers pictured on December 12. If the Lebanese state is to re-establish its monopoly on the use of force, it needs a fit-for-purpose military. EPA

Despite the dire economic straits in which their country finds itself, for many in Lebanon $25 not an impossible sum to get together. That is the current asking price for one of the black-market AK-47 assault rifles flooding the troubled country after collapse of the Syrian army. The growing availability of these weapons in a country already awash with guns should alarm everyone who wants to see Lebanon turn a corner on instability, invasion and inertia.

On Wednesday, The National spoke to a Lebanese security source who confirmed that local dealers were taking advantage of the upheaval across the border to buy and smuggle in cheap firearms. “The northern region of the country is now full of Syrian arms,” the source said.

That some Lebanese feel the need to arm themselves with unregistered guns is not new; it is a symptom of the country’s many serious domestic problems. A report released last year by the Global Organised Crime Index found that many Lebanese “turn to ‘self-security’ to protect themselves and their families by purchasing arms on the black market”. The demand for weapons “surged in the aftermath of the port explosion in Beirut in August 2020”, it added.

The sudden influx of firearms from Syria has left the authorities worried, understandably, about the consequences. If the Lebanese state is to re-establish its monopoly on the use of force and regain the trust of the public, the Lebanese Armed Forces must be empowered to contain this phenomenon.

Lebanon’s army is under great strain and has been for years. As Sami Halabi of the Lebanese think tank Badil wrote in The National earlier this year: “Institutional bloat, accusations of graft and political infighting have rendered the LAF highly dysfunctional, with little capacity to secure the country at large, let alone one of the world’s most volatile borders.”

It is clear that this national symbol of Lebanese statehood – one that, importantly for Lebanon, transcends sectarian lines – must be enabled to do its job properly. Implementing UN Security Resolution 1701 to disarm Hezbollah and ensure the monopoly over the use of arms with the state is vital – and is part of the current ceasefire deal with Israel.

Some countries have already promised to help, with nations meeting at a donor conference in Paris in October promising $200 million for Lebanon’s security forces. During a visit to Abu Dhabi earlier this month, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK would support the initial training of hundreds of Lebanese army recruits and provide equipment through contractors to bolster its ability to maintain security in the south of the country. On the same day, 62 armoured personnel carriers donated by Jordan arrived in Beirut.

These are all worthy steps but even more support is needed, given the sobering array of tasks facing Lebanon’s military. The sudden influx of illegal guns from Syria only adds to a complicated situation in which Israeli troops are still on Lebanese territory and Hezbollah militants remain active. The armed forces also need to be ready to fulfil their stabilising role in partnership with UN peacekeepers.

International support for the army is more likely to be forthcoming if donor countries see that Lebanon is heading to having a fully functioning government and a new president in place. Political leadership and an army that is fit for purpose are vital if Lebanon is to, one day, become a country where some citizens don’t feel that they have no choice but to arm themselves.