LEBANON North Lebanon, a land dispute aggravates tensions between Maronites and Sunnis

The central issue in the dispute is the area at the summit of Qornet al Sawda, the highest point of the Mount Lebanon range. It constitutes a water reserve of fundamental importance and is disputed by two villages, one Christian and the other Muslim. Two deaths in recent days, the involvement of the army and the (supposed) responsibility of Hezbollah aggravate the situation.

Beirut () – A dispute over land ownership at the top of Qornet al Sawda, the highest point of the Mount Lebanon mountain range (3,800 meters), between two large villages, the Christian one of Bécharré and the Muslim one of Bqaasifrine (hunt for Deniye), could trigger a confessional confrontation between the populations. The region is considered a “water reservoir” thanks to its snow and glaciers, whose melting ice in summer feeds aquifers and streams that flow into a dozen large natural reservoirs.

While waiting for a court to demarcate the land, the conflict flares up again every year in the dry season, giving rise to endless disputes between herders and farmers from the two villages. However, continued tension between the two sides led to the death on 1 July of a man from the village of Bécharré, Haytham Tok, who was shot in the back by a sniper, his colleagues said. The victim was part of a group that had set up a tent in the highlands.

The murder shocked the Christian community. Alerted by the ringing of the bells, the men of the village gathered in front of the Saint-Saba church to organize a punitive expedition.

Aware of the risk of sectarian clashes between Maronites and Sunnis that would end up going far beyond simple revenge for bloodshed, the Lebanese army immediately closed the roads and trails leading to the summit of Qornet al Sawda. The military then reminded all the residents that the region is a military training zone, prohibited to civilians. At the same time, four helicopters flew over the area in search of snipers or infiltrating armed men.

A few hours later, the Lebanese army found a second victim and rushed the body of a man in his forties, identified as Malek Tok, to the public hospital in the Bécharré region. According to some versions, which agree with each other, he was killed by the military due to a misunderstanding, probably beaten because he had tried to break the closure imposed by the troops or because he had fired in the direction of one of the helicopters.

The funeral of the two dead was celebrated by the Maronite Patriarch, Card. Beshara Raï, who called for vigilance and calm. However, Deputy William Tok of the Lebanese Forces denounced the impunity that the attackers could enjoy if the public security authorities were “complacent”. The population of the Christian village “is not willing to wait indefinitely for justice to be done”, declared the Christian representative. At the same time, it is known that the preliminary investigations carried out by the Army included the interrogation of some twenty people in Bqaasifrine and six people in Bécharré, but for the moment no significant news is known.

There are several different versions of the events, depending on the various sources interviewed. For example, according to the report of a forensic doctor who would have examined the body of Haytham Tok, he died from a bullet fired from a distance of no more than twenty meters and not from a sniper, who would have hit from a greater distance. This version has been strongly refuted and the lawyer Tony Chidiac, close to the deputy of Becharré William Tok, has asked that the doctor be accused of false testimony.

One of the protagonists of the appeal for calm that was made during the funeral, Fr. Hani Tok, stressed that the men from the village of Becharré, although they carry weapons when they go to their lands in Kornet al Sawda, usually never open fire “with the purpose of attacking”, but only as a deterrent. The priest added that the current situation in the town is “very delicate.”

Together with the Army, the first investigating judge of North Lebanon, Samaranda Nassar, took charge of the investigation, who visited the place of the tragedy. But, as other sources suggest, there is one last aspect related to the possible involvement of Hezbollah. Indeed, some leading figures have accused the Lebanese pro-Tehran Shiite movement of being involved in the incident. However, other sources believed to be reliable within Bécharré are trying to nip these rumors in the bud, which could further exacerbate the tension. “These accusations are purely political and there is no evidence that they are true.”