Lebanese people in Algeria worry about their loved ones

2006-07-19

The Lebanese community in Algeria is following the armed conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army with fear and trepidation. The community, many of whom remember the civil war, are shocked their country has plunged back into violence.

By Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers -- 19/07/06

[Getty Images] Images of the destruction on the Lebanese side of the conflict.

The Lebanese community in Algiers is worried about the situation in its country since the recent outbreak of military hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

A Lebanese Embassy in Algiers official told Magharebia, "Over recent years, many Lebanese have settled in Algeria, either on a temporary or permanent basis, but we do not know their exact number."

The most visible Lebanese are restaurant managers and white-collar workers.

Imad, who manages a restaurant in the residential district of El Mouradia in Algiers, heaved a long sigh after the situation in Lebanon was mentioned to him. He asked his Lebanese banker friend Nizar, "Really, did you think that Lebanon would stir up in warfare again?" Nizar answered, "It's a curse, as if the Lebanese are condemned to live in the Diaspora!"

Imad, who is trying to telephone his cousin in Beirut, said, "I have been trying to get through to him for two days now." He added, "The telephone and Internet lines have been cut and the power stations have been attacked. Only the rich who have satellite telephones can contact their loved ones, or with friends who can keep them updated on the situation hour by hour."

Since the start of the armed conflict, Imad's restaurant, like the other Lebanese restaurants around Algiers, has become a rallying point for the Lebanese community. They go there to find out the latest news and to find comfort in the company of their countrymen.

Anne, a Lebanese Christian, was getting ready to join her husband in Lebanon. "My husband left at the start of July. I was supposed to go with the children to join him on 10 July." Her luggage is still sitting in the lounge.

Anne, who has bullet wounds from the civil war, bemoans, "There I was thinking that my children were not going to live through this nightmare."

Editor's Note: This article was redacted on March 6th 2007, at the request of one of the sources.