Bambi toured the news from Beirut today. She could not help not to cry at the sad (and worrisome) news about the Lebanese army.
She thought of her birth country and all its soldiers and their families. She particularly thought of her friend Adelle whose daughter and son are both in the army.
Because of Lebanon’s financial crisis, among its additional multiple crises, the army cannot feed its soldiers anymore, support them with medication, and even pay their salaries. One must recall that it has been over a year that those soldiers have not been served meat because it is too expensive:
It seems that the monthly salary of a soldier is now worth US$90 in the middle of hyperinflation:
Thanks to France, along with Italy and the United Nations forces in Lebanon, an international virtual conference was recently held to try to support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
As explained by the Chief of the LAF, if Lebanon’s army collapses, it is not just Lebanon that suffers… but also the entire region. Indeed, the army is the symbol of unity in the country of the Cedars. It is like the last red line to preserve in order to keep Lebanon united. It has the respect of all. There is a reason why people patriotically call a soldier “Watan” (= the country or homeland). In their mind, he/she represents the whole country.
Remember Lebanon has a powerful group within it that is like a state larger than the official state. There is also the ghost of civil war when the army was too weak, became divided and when communitarianism (or sectarianism) resulted in each group with its own security forces… and then all began fighting each other.
Below you can find the appeal of the Lebanon’s army Chief (starting at 15 seconds into this video and in English):
To conclude this post on a musical note meant to honour and thank the Lebanese soldiers for their service/sacrifices, here is a song that Bambi just found. It is by Ms. Hiba Tawaji. Bambi would like to dedicate it to each person serving in the army and contributing to the unity and stability of tiny bankrupt yet always charming Lebanon.
