Tripoli A crushing economic crisis in Lebanon has impelled
members of the security forces to take on side hustles to get by,
raising concerns about security in the eastern Mediterranean
country.
Soldiers in Lebanon have seen their salaries diminish to around
an eighth of their value in dollar terms since the countrys economy
began tanking in late 2019.
To make ends meet, 28-year-old soldier Samer says he works three
days a week with his uncle at a garage in the northern port
city of Tripoli.
Almost all of my army friends have a second job, he said,
standing near an open car bonnet, his hands dirty with grease and
oil.
In regular times, moonlighting while serving in the military can
be punishable by imprisonment.
But now the army turns a blind eye because if not, everybody
would quit, said Samer, whose name has been changed as he is not
allowed to talk to the media.
The devastating economic crisis which the World Bank says is one
of the planets worst in modern times has plunged more than 80
percent of the Lebanese population into poverty.
On average, a soldier used to earn about $800 a month before the
crisis, but the value of the Lebanese currency, the pound, has
since crashed and salaries are now worth around just $100.
Working at the garage, Samer says he earns double what he does
as a soldier but still struggles to survive, with nappies and milk
to buy for his young son.
Since June last year, Qatar and the United States have announced
millions to help prop up security force salaries particularly for
the army, seen as a key pillar of Lebanons stability.
Penniless
Even with the $100 extra from the Qataris every 45 days, its
still not enough, Samer told AFP. At the end of the month, Im
penniless.
Around 80,000 Lebanese serve in the army, while almost 25,000
police serve in Lebanons Internal Security Forces (ISF), according
to official sources.
The army declined to respond to an AFP request for comment on
the issue of soldiers taking up second jobs.
Ahmad, 29, chose to desert after 10 years of service, preferring
instead to work full time as a waiter.
I realised that staying was hopeless, he told AFP, also using a
pseudonym.
He quit early last year and said others from his barracks had
also left the army.
I was raised to love the uniform. I still do, but we are
suffocating, he said.
Lebanons cash-strapped military struggles to even maintain its
own equipment.
After the economic meltdown began, the army cut down on meat in
meals for on-duty soldiers, while in 2021 it introduced helicopter
joyrides for tourists in a bid to boost its coffers.
Security concerns
Ahmad said he worried about...
