Caught in the Crossfire: Tripoli's Struggle with Stray Bullets

A report by Lara al-Hachem, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

If fate had not intervened, eight-month-old Zohour's life would have been lost due to a stray bullet, grazing her and her mother before piercing a wooden door.

Zohour has had her share of what the children of Tripoli endure daily, a phenomenon that worsened during Ramadan.

Armed men can roam the Abou Ali River bridge there, firing shots just because he didn't like the lemons at one of the stalls. 

Imagine a children's game with fireworks turned into a battleground. This is in addition to burning shops and breaking glass in settling personal scores.

It's the recklessness of some lawbreakers with security, accompanied by political interventions, that often make the security of the north "easy prey" at the expense of its people's safety.

This escalating reality prompted the Lebanese army to conduct a security sweep in Tripoli on Tuesday evening, continuing until Wednesday dawn, resulting in the arrests of dozens. Additional arrests have been made in various northern regions in recent days, targeting many with criminal records.

It's a reality that some security violators try to impose on a majority that refuses to turn back the clock. This reality necessitates cooperation from all security, judicial, municipal, and local community organizations through setting up checkpoints, removing violations that cause problems, strict punishment for offenders, and, most importantly, exposing any perpetrator who feels empowered due to political protection or the state's neglect of its role in the best of circumstances.