Twenty countries unblock emergency aid for the Lebanese army

Published on : 06/18/2021 – 08:21

About twenty states are flocking to the aid of Lebanon. During an emergency meeting organized at the initiative of France, states agreed on emergency aid Thursday, June 17 to be allocated to the Lebanese army. This aid is “essential for the stability of the country” hit hard by an unprecedented economic crisis, announced the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Faced with this crisis that is shaking all of Lebanon, the army declared itself unable to pay its soldiers enough and formulated very specific needs for immediate assistance (food, medicine, fuel, spare parts), amounting to tens of millions of euros.

Greater commitment and coordination

French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly chaired a videoconference bringing together the member countries of the International Support Group in Lebanon (United States, Russia, China, Germany Italy, etc.) and Gulf countries. However, the various contributions were not immediately communicated.

“While many countries have already provided significant bilateral aid, the gravity of the Lebanese crisis calls for increased commitment and coordination by all” in favor of the Lebanese Armed Forces (FAL), noted the French Ministry of the Armed Forces in a statement.

“The ALF remain an essential pillar of the Lebanese state” and “play a key role in maintaining security across the country,” he said. “Their cohesion and professionalism remain essential to preserve the stability of the country”.

“This exceptional support is an emergency response which cannot substitute for the essential reforms which Lebanon urgently needs today for its stability”, however also hammered the participants in the meeting.

Political crisis

The international community makes any economic or financial support for Lebanon conditional on structural reforms and the establishment of a new government, which are slow to materialize.

French President Emmanuel Macron has put strong pressure in this direction since last summer on Lebanese leaders, so far to no avail. The country has still been without a government for ten months, for lack of agreement between the parties in power, accused by the streets of letting the country flow.

“It is extremely difficult for a military leader to seek support from foreign countries when his own state is unable to act and is sizeable in (its) budget,” Lebanese army commander-in-chief General Joseph Aoun said. , according to the text of his speech in English transmitted by his services.

“For nearly six months, I have tirelessly expressed my greatest concern about the capacity of the ALF to fulfill their mission effectively and efficiently,” he observed, pointing to the impact of the crisis on ” the daily life “and” morale “of soldiers as well as the” operational “capabilities of the army.

A “monitoring mechanism”

The contributions announced at the meeting will be “intended directly for the FAL”, it was specified in Paris. They will therefore not go through the interim government authorities and will be the subject of a “follow-up mechanism”, established by the ALF, in conjunction with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL).

The economic collapse that Lebanon is going through, the worst in its history, is accompanied by an unprecedented depreciation of the currency, which has lost 90% of its value against the dollar. This depreciation has melted away wages, military salaries but also the state budget, including for the FAL.

A year ago, the army announced that it would no longer serve meat in meals offered to soldiers, due to soaring prices.

France, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey are today among the largest donors of food for its soldiers. The United States remains the largest donor, however, increasing funds for the Lebanese military this year from $ 15 million to $ 120 million.

With AFP