VIDEO. "A second job to survive": in Lebanon, police and military are also forced to combine jobs

In two years, the crisis has turned Salim's life upside down (his first name has been changed). A member of the security forces for 18 years, the thirty-year-old now has to leave his post half the time to survive. He has a job as a welder in a small business. Hit hard by the fall of the pound, the military and members of the security forces have seen their purchasing power plummet. "Before the crisis, my salary was about 1200 dollars, today it is only 50," he laments.

The Lebanese pound has lost nearly 95% of its value. The 100,000-pound note, the largest in circulation, is now trading for nearly a dollar on the parallel market. While in 2019, the official exchange rate was 1,500 pounds to the dollar. According to the World Bank, Lebanon is experiencing one of the worst crises the world has experienced since 1850.

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Leaving the security forces for a better-paying job? Salim thought about it. But the approach is not without consequences. "There is no dismissal possible, and if you desert, you will be prosecuted like any other criminal," he said. So his new activity allows him to hold. "With this, I barely have enough to live on. But if ever there is an unforeseen event, it gets complicated... ». A combination of jobs "allowed" by the hierarchy, which faced with the cost of transport and economic difficulties, have reduced service obligations.

Several external aid plans are now supporting the salaries of the army and security forces. For example, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a support program. Since April 18 and for a period of six months, eligible ISP members have received $100 per month in cash assistance.