Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Lebanon Kidnappings Tribal, Not Sectarian | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55296958
Caption:

Lebanese army soldiers search civilians at one of their checkpoints at the entrance of Arsal, a Sunni Muslim town in eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013.
(AP)


Lebanese army soldiers search civilians at one of their checkpoints at the entrance of Arsal, a Sunni Muslim town in eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013.  (AP)

Lebanese army soldiers search civilians at one of their checkpoints at the entrance of Arsal, a Sunni Muslim town in eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013.
(AP)

Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—The retaliatory kidnappings that have taken place in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley this week are tribal, not sectarian, Asharq Al-Awsat can reveal.

This newest round of escalatory abductions began with the kidnapping of a member of the prominent Jaafar clan, Hussein Jaafar. Jaafar, who local sources revealed works as a smuggler, was kidnapped from the eastern border town of Arsal. His kidnapping sparked a series of retaliatory kidnappings on both sides, between the Sunni community based in Arsal and the surrounding Shi’ite villages.

Following the news of Jaafar’s abduction, members of his family kidnapped seven residents of Arsal, two of whom were subsequently released. This escalating round of abductions is taking place in the midst of an armed standoff in the volatile Lebanese regions of Baalbek and the northern Bekaa valley, prompting the Lebanese army to be deployed to the area.

The situation escalated even further when several members of the Jaafar clan fired on an ambulance belonging to the Islamic Medical Association that was transferring an injured member of the Free Syrian Army [FSA] from Arsal to a hospital in Baalbek. The driver, Arsal resident Hassan Ezzedine, was also abducted. Following days of mediation Ezzedine was released into the custody of Baalbek Mufti Sheikh Bakr Al-Rifai.

Returning to the original crime that sparked this unfortunate set of events; Arsal Mayor Mohamed Al-Hajiri informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the residents of his town “have nothing to do with [Jaafari’s] abduction.”

He also denied that this incident was “political or sectarian or took place as a result of division over the Syrian crisis.”

In spite of this, Al-Hajiri did acknowledge that Lebanon is witnessing difficult divisions over the Syrian revolution, between those who support the uprising and those who are backing the Assad regime. He also did not deny that Jaafar had been kidnapped from Arsal, but stressed that his kidnapping was tied to his smuggling activities. He stressed that Jaafar was involved in smuggling fuel across the Lebanese/ Syrian border, adding those responsible for his abduction “are mostly Syrians and other smugglers working with them.”

Baalbek Mufti Sheikh Bakr Al-Rifai informed Asharq Al-Awsat that this abduction “is not political and has nothing to do with sectarian affiliation.”

He clarified that five tankers of fuel were being smuggled across the Syrian border, but that one of the tankers, along with its driver Hussein Jaafar, was captured. Al-Rifai stressed that Jaafar’s capture was strictly tied to his business as a smuggler.

He revealed: “When the news of this [abduction] spread, the circumstances of the event were not clear to the members of the Jaafar clan, who immediately went out to capture seven tribal members, later releasing two of them.”

He added: “When the picture clarified, namely that the kidnapping took place in the Wadi al-Khayl border region, this became clear and the Jaafar clan realized that the Arsal residents had nothing to do with this event.”

Mufti Rifai said that the people of Arsal view Jaafar’s abduction as the abduction of any member of their community, adding that they are “keen to see his safe return.”

He said that attempts are underway to discover where he is being held.

Regarding this abduction being tribal, rather than sectarian or political, Mufti Rifai told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the people of the region believe that tribal affiliations are more important than sectarian affiliation or political choices” adding “this situation must be approached from this angle, not from a political or sectarian perspective.”

As for whether the release of two members of the original seven Arsal residents kidnapped by the Jaafar clan represents a positive sign, he emphasized that “the border between Arsal and Syria is open, which means that large and diverse groups are controlling the region, and this means that securing the releasing of Hussein Jaafar could take some time.”