According to the US ambassador, the US is
redirecting $72 million of its aid to Lebanon in order to assist the country's
cash-strapped government in raising the wages of its police and military
personnel.
Washington has contributed more than $3
billion in military funding to the Lebanese Army and its 80,000 soldiers since
2006. The US allocated money for security personnel's salaries in Lebanon for
the first time in an announcement on Wednesday.
The World Bank claims that Lebanon is
currently experiencing one of the biggest global economic crises since the
1850s. While nearly 90% of the value of the Lebanese pound has been lost versus
the dollar, three-quarters of the population still lives in poverty.
Lebanese politicians have failed to enact
economic changes to restore the country's viability because they are mired in a
political impasse. Lebanese police and soldiers, who have been rare unifiers in
a nation sharply split by sectarian politics, have become impoverished as a
result of the economic collapse. The general security and stability of Lebanon
have been jeopardised by their incapacity to provide livable wages and food for
their staff.
An enlisted soldier made the equivalent of
roughly $800 per month before the crisis, but the devaluation of the pound has
caused that to fall to just over $100. The monthly pay of a higher-ranked
officer currently amounts to about $250.
Since then, a lot of security officials and
troops have left the army or taken up second jobs, and the Lebanese Army has
turned to unconventional means of earning money, such as selling paid
helicopter rides and charging exorbitant rates for press credentials.
Last January, the US State Department informed
Congress of its plan to divert money intended for military and law enforcement
salaries. Republicans in Congress have demanded that all military assistance to
Lebanon be cut off, citing the militant organisation Hezbollah's rising
political influence, which is supported by Iran.
The assistance announced on Wednesday by US
Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea is a one-time gesture, in contrast to
certain past US programmes that have paid full salary for ally forces.
To lessen the impact of the economic crisis,
it will provide each soldier and police officer in Lebanon an additional $100 a
month on top of their pay for the following six months. The money will be
distributed by the United Nations Development Program.
At a press conference, Shea, Gen. Joseph Aoun,
head of the Lebanese army, Maj. Gen. Imad Osman, head of the Lebanese police,
and Melanie Hauenstein, representative of the UNDP in Lebanon, announced the
help.
Due to the dearth of local alternatives, Aoun
remarked, "Given these circumstances, we were forced to raise our voice,
loudly, and have called to the world community for their support and
assistance." The Lebanese Army may be facing its most perilous situation
to date as a result of the present crisis.”
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