08 April 2013

ARSAL, Lebanon: Tension returned to the northern Bekaa Valley Sunday, after a weekend deadline the Jaafar clan had set for the release of one of its members expired. The clan had demanded the return of Hussein Kamel Jaafar by Saturday. He was abducted late last month near Arsal and reportedly taken to the Syrian town of Yabrud. In retaliation, the powerful Jaafars kidnapped 11 people from Arsal, later releasing all but four of them.

Beginning Sunday morning, members of the Jaafar family blocked roads that lead to Arsal, firing in the air and turning away all trucks attempting to leave the town.

Ali Jaafar, a prominent member of the clan, told The Daily Star that after the deadline had passed and mediation efforts had failed, the family had decided to sever all ties with Arsal.

Jaafar members are now forbidden from entering Arsal or passing by it, and they are blocking trucks from exiting the town.

Much of Arsal’s economy depends on quarrying, and locals are likely to see the prevention of moving to and from quarries as a major provocation. Indeed, residents complained that five trucks filled with stone and livestock had been turned back Sunday, and called the move a siege.

Youssef al-Flaiti, a truck driver who transports stone across the country, urged security forces to clear the road he needs for business. “If the stoppage continues then we will block roads across Lebanon,” he warned.

In reaction to the Jaafars’ move, hundreds of Arsal residents gathered near the Lebanese Army checkpoint near the eastern Arsal entrance, themselves blocking a road with their vehicles.

Sheikh Mohammad al-Rifai said the protest was a response to the “immoral actions by people whose identities are known by the authorities.”

Rifai pleaded with President Michel Sleiman and other officials to intervene and break the “siege” of Arsal, releasing those kidnapped from all areas and families. “It is unacceptable to prevent people from making a living by keeping them from leaving their village.”

Hussein al-Hujeiry, an Arsal mukhtar, warned the Jaafar clan to stop “attacks and insults” toward locals. He said that Arsal residents have “nothing to do with the abduction” of Jaafar, “so they should not be punished for something they are not involved in.”

“Village notables have done everything in their capacity to facilitate the release of the kidnapped Jaafar, but nothing has been achieved.”

Describing the Jaafars as “neighbors” and “relatives,” Hujeiry demanded that both the authorities and the Jaafars themselves step in to prevent strife, “or things will get out of control as a result of escalatory actions we will announce at the proper time.”

Ali Jaafar said the family still had no information about their abducted family member.

“We have no details about what is happening except for phone calls from the kidnappers to some local mediators. We know there are negotiations about a ransom,” he said, adding that “the demands change constantly and range from $250,000 to $600,000. Nothing has been resolved.”

A reported $1 million was originally demanded for Jaafar’s release, a sum the clan declined to pay.

Jaafar added that some people from Arsal have been in touch with people living in villages near the Syrian border – where the abducted man is said to be held – about the issue.

Family members of those kidnapped from Arsal met with Jaafar leaders in Hermel’s Sahlat al-Maa village late last week to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army boosted its deployment in the region. It increased patrols on the road from Al-Labwe to Baalbek, inspecting cars and installing new checkpoints.

Copyright The Daily Star 2013.