The Internal Security Forces in Lebanon face significant challenges, starting with addressing the security risks threatening the country and combating crime, while also enduring the impacts of the economic and financial crisis. They struggle to maintain their numbers of officers, non-commissioned officers, and personnel, due to the devaluation of their salaries and the loss of basic benefits such as healthcare, hospital treatment, and educational grants for their children. Many are forced to seek alternative employment outside of their duties.
Like all state institutions in Lebanon suffering due to the financial collapse, hundreds of security personnel have stopped serving in search of livelihoods, both in Lebanon and abroad. To mitigate the human resource drain, the acting commander of the gendarmerie unit issued a directive urging commanding officers to contact their absconding personnel and encourage them to return to their posts, assuring them that the leadership cares about their circumstances and aims to facilitate their return to service as usual.
This directive stirred confusion within the security ranks, with experts interpreting it as a message expressing the institution’s willingness to accommodate its personnel, understand their circumstances, and persuade them to return. However, it was not implemented due to its non-compliance with existing laws.
The total number of Internal Security Forces personnel is approximately 26,000, encompassing various ranks. Prior to the crisis in 2019, salaries ranged from 1.5 million Lebanese Lira (about $1,000) to 9 million Lira (about $6,000) for high-ranking officers. After the crisis, despite assistance and a salary increase of threefold, salaries have fluctuated between $120 at the lowest end and $800 at the highest for senior ranks.
A security source revealed that the directive was quickly retracted upon the request of the Director General of Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Othman. The source confirmed to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that implementing this memo would require a legal amendment, particularly as absconding personnel are now subject to military legal proceedings.
Security and strategic expert, Brigadier General Naji Mali, noted that absconding from duty results in disciplinary action and military prosecution, and neither can cancel out the other. He explained that if, during military trial, it is proven that the absconding individual did not commit acts harmful to the institution, and if sentenced to less than a month in prison, the individual may face disciplinary measures such as a reduction in rank before being returned to service.
Mali, who previously headed the Judicial Police Unit within the Internal Security Forces, mentioned a law that states if personnel resign voluntarily and leave without absconding, they may seek to return within five years, provided leadership approves; however, beyond this process, there is no possibility of reinstating absconding personnel.
The Internal Security Forces is experiencing a significant human resource drain, with hundreds retiring annually upon reaching the legal age, while recruitment has been halted for the past four years due to a government decision to stop hiring. This has exacerbated the issue of staff absconding. It is noteworthy that the leadership of the Internal Security Forces has not removed those who left service from its records, with informed sources justifying this to avoid encouraging those still working to abscond, preventing further loss of personnel.
Sources indicated that the leadership consistently advises officers, non-commissioned officers, and personnel to endure and make sacrifices for their sake and for the country, especially since the crisis will not last indefinitely. They emphasized that bravery is shown by those who remain in the institution to defend their country and families, not by those who left during the peak of the crisis. Since the beginning of the crisis, approximately 700 personnel have left the force, but around 200 of them returned voluntarily and faced only disciplinary actions.
The same sources clarified that very few officers from the Internal Security Forces have left service in the past three years; some resigned and obtained approval from the leadership council before their release decrees were issued. The source highlighted that most of the officers whose resignations were accepted are specialists, such as doctors, engineers, and technology experts, to ensure that rejecting their resignation would not undermine their career aspirations.
