Plains of al-Qammoua, Akkar. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — The decades-long land dispute between the neighboring towns of Akkar al-Atiqa and Fnaideq, located in the Akkar governorate, over the ownership of contested lands in the al-Qammoua area has resurfaced once again over the construction of a building in the disputed area, accompanied by an exchange of statements between the respective authorities of both towns, L'Orient Today's correspondent in North Lebanon reported.
On Saturday a statement was issued by the municipality, heads of councils and local figures of Akkar al-Atiqa accusing an individual from Fnaidek, Khaled Abdou Ayyash, of constructing a building in the disputed area. In response, the municipality of Fnaideq issued a counter-statement denying these allegations.
Akkar al-Atiqa accused Ayyash, of unauthorized construction in the contested area, calling it a "provocative act" and seeking intervention "from security and judicial authorities," the town of Akkar al-Atiqa said in an official statement, our correspondent reported.
Fnaideq's municipality denied the claim, in a statement, and insisted that Ayyash "is the rightful owner of the land, having had possession for over fifty years." Fnaideq municipality insisted that it will resort to the judiciary for reconciliation on the matter against the "fabrication of facts that Akkar al-Atiqa is unfortunately resorting to."
Since Lebanon's independence in 1943, the Lebanese state has not recorded all of the country's land in the land register, which has given rise to a number of conflicts and is regularly a source of tension and sometimes degenerates into armed clashes that lead to casualties. Land disputes, from north to south via the Bekaa, have been ongoing for years.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak