By ALIA IBRAHIM
BEIRUT, LEBANON - Abu Omar, a money changer and father of 11 who lives in Beirut, has bought at least 10 firearms since the beginning of last year. "Everything I can put my hands on and I can afford, I buy. I never sell," he said. "Now is a time for buying arms."
Many Lebanese, increasingly worried about the country's political paralysis devolving into violence, are preparing themselves in the same way. One measure of their anxiety is the price of small arms: An AK-47 that went for $75 to $100 a year ago now costs somewhere between $600 and $1,000.
Even larger, outdated arms are gaining value, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers that were once considered the "garbage of weapons," said Ghassan Qarhani, a former fighter familiar with the arms market. Today, RPG launchers cost $500, up from $50, he said, noting that they are useful for street warfare.
Civil war
Political tension has been rising in Lebanon since 2006, when opposition ministers resigned from Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's Cabinet. A stalemate between the government, backed by the U.S. and Europe, and opposition forces led by the Shiite Hezbollah movement, which is allied with Syria and Iran, has rendered parliament unable to pass laws or elect a new president.
Lebanese fought a civil war from 1975 to 1990 that was fueled by strife between Christians and Muslims, but many people now worry more about the potential for conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Although few expect a conflagration on the scale of the last war, many are preparing for the worst.
Despite disarmament accords, many of Lebanon's militia members have retained their weapons. Supporters of newer groups, such as the predominantly Sunni Future Movement, and those loyal to Christian opposition leader Gen. Michel Aoun, appear to be buying weapons now. Qarhani estimated that half of the residents in the city's low-income Sunni neighborhoods now have weapons. A few years ago, "very, very few were armed," he said.
Changing hands
According to dealers and buyers, most of the weapons on the market date from the civil war and had been stored away. Now they are changing hands.
"There are more arms dealers in this country than there is hair on my head," said Abu Omar. "I buy from three different sources: a Syrian, a Palestinian and a Shiite from the southern suburb. I call them and tell them what I want, and they bring the pieces to me; sometimes, they call me when they have a special piece."
Most dealers are part-timers who start as aficionados and then transition into trading until they are known for what they do. "The government knows everything. They know who is buying and they know who is selling, and right now, the policy is to allow people to own guns, as long as they shoot only in the air and not at each other," Qarhani said.
The government appears unable to stop the widespread acquisition of arms. The state has not removed weapons from the country's Palestinian refugee camps or disarmed Hezbollah.
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