The Psychological Legacy of the Lebanese Civil War in Paramilitary Veterans

ABSTRACT

The experiences of irregular combatants and the psychosocial impact of their participation in violent conflict are poorly understood in comparison to the body of research available on military veterans in developed countries. The Lebanese civil war (1975–1990) was an archetypal intra-national armed conflict, involving thousands of civilians turned fighters. Fifteen former fighters were interviewed about their active involvement in the war. The qualitative analysis reveals a persistent psychosocial burden decades later. Former paramilitary fighters have needs that overlap only partially with those of regular veterans. Further research on this population would be beneficial to global peacebuilding efforts and conflict prevention.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge with gratitude the contribution of all the veterans who agreed to take part in our study and the individuals who helped us in the recruitment of participants. We thank the organization ‘Fighters for Peace’ who works with ex-combatants with an aim to build civil peace and reconciliations in Lebanon. It also targets their mental well-being by implementing strategies to unite former fighters from different backgrounds, encouraging them to share their stories and serve as an example for our society.

Disclosure Statement

All authors have no conflict of interest to declare. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Notes

1. Klashinkoff, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle.