VIDEO. “Second job to survive”: in Lebanon, police and soldiers are also forced to combine work

In two years, the crisis turned Salim’s life upside down (his name has been changed). An 18-year-old security officer, the 30-year-old now has to leave his post half the time in order to survive. He combines the work of a welder in a small company. Hard hit by the fall in the pound, the military and security forces have seen their purchasing power plummet. “Before the crisis, my salary was about $1,200; today it costs only $50,” he laments.

The Lebanese pound lost almost 95% of its value. The £100,000 note, the largest in circulation, now trades for almost a dollar on a parallel market. Whereas in 2019 the official rate was £1,500 to the dollar. Lebanon has been facing one of the worst crises in the world since 1850, according to the World Bank.

Leave the security forces for a higher paying job? Salim thought. But the approach is not without consequences. “Firing is impossible, and if you desert, you will be prosecuted like any criminal,” he laments. So his new activity keeps him going. “With this, I barely have enough to live on. But if an unforeseen event ever happens, everything will become more complicated … “. And the combination of positions, “allowed” by the hierarchy, faced with transportation costs and economic difficulties, reduced official duties.

Several foreign aid plans are currently supporting the salaries of the army and security forces. For example, the United States Embassy in Beirut and UNDP (United Nations Development Program) launched a support program. Beginning April 18 and for six months, eligible ISP members receive $100 per month cash assistance.