Syrian refugee camp in Ersal, Bekaa. (Credit: AFP/File photo)
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Merit Invest and Colis Privé, two subsidiaries of French logistics giant CMA CGM, won a tender to operate Lebanon’s postal services, the Telecoms Ministry said. The ministry has not yet officially announced that the companies will replace longstanding postal operator LibanPost. The two companies will return 12 percent of their revenue to the Lebanese state. This is the second bid won by the companies after no one bid on the first call to replace LibanPost and the ministry canceled another tender in which the CMA CGM subsidiaries went unopposed.
Caretaker Ministers Hector Hajjar (Social Affairs) and Issam Charafeddine (Displaced) along with several parties criticized a European Parliament resolution which they claimed supports the continued presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The Kataeb party stated that the resolution failed to delineate steps for the repatriation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon, which the country has repeatedly attempted to do despite the international community’s warnings regarding the dangers returnees face. The Lebanese Forces’ statement denied that the conditions for repatriation have not been achieved and called for the transfer of refugees to other countries. Lebanon ramped up policing of Syrian refugee communities, including tightened restrictions on displaced Syrians and a rise in deportations, amid a rise in anti-refugee rhetoric from political and religious leaders.
The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced the arrest of a man accused of accidentally killing his nephew in Al-Qammoua, Akkar. The ISF statement claimed that the deceased nephew was fatally shot in June when accidentally walked into the suspect’s line of fire while they were shooting warning shots to scare residents in a disputed area between Fnaidek and Al-Qammoua. In June, a shepherd found the deceased nephew’s body, later revealed to be a young Lebanese doctor, who was last seen with his uncle and another man. Earlier this month, the suspect and another man were arrested. Deadly shootings are repeatedly reported across Lebanon amid the rampant and unregulated presence of firearms.
The International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday repatriated the body of a Lebanese man who fled to Israel in 2000, the state-run National News Agency reported. According to the NNA, the Lebanese Red Cross then transferred the body of Naif Abou Azzi, to Rmeish, a village in south Lebanon. When the Israeli army withdrew from South Lebanon in 2000, approximately 6,000 members of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army took refuge in Israel. In May, Nearly 200 people protested in Abdeh, Akkar against the repatriation of the body of a former SLA militiaman who died in Israel.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from over the weekend: “What are the rules and regulations of Lebanon’s daycare centers?”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz