Memos 
Live events & webinars 
Trend Reports
BEIRUT — The specter of sectarian strife in Lebanon has once again reared its head following a dispute between residents of two towns in the north that ended with the killing of two men over the weekend.
The town of Bcharre in the North governorate was in mourning Monday after Haitham Tawk, 38, and Malek Tawk, in his 50s, were shot dead over the weekend in armed clashes with residents from the nearby Bkaasafrine village in Danniyeh district. The two were not related.
Numerous unconfirmed accounts of the incident have flooded traditional and social media.
According to an army statement, Haitham was found dead on Saturday in Qornet el-Sawda area. Local reports claimed that he was killed by “sniper fire” from a long distance after a group of young men from Danniyeh headed to the area on Friday night. The claims were refuted by the military and civilian forensic doctors who said he was killed at a close range. Malek was later killed in renewed clashes on Saturday. Meanwhile, the army deployed in the area to defuse the tensions.
“The army has arrested a number of people and confiscated weapons and ammunition,” the military said in a statement on Saturday.
The lakes, formed by melting snow from the North district's Qornet el-Sawda, feed the towns’ groundwater. But shepherds and farmers from Bkaasafrine who frequent the area say the lakes are within the borders of the Danniyeh district and are essential to their crops and herds. The state has yet to settle the issue, despite repeated calls over the years to demarcate the area.
Officials and religious leaders were quick to denounce the weekend’s incident and called for calm to allow investigators to work.
The mufti of Tripoli and the North district, Sheikh Mohammad Imam, and the archbishop of the Maronite Archdiocese of Tripoli, Youssef Soueif, issued a joint statement urging people to avoid being dragged into sectarian strife.
Geagea received calls from several lawmakers offering their condolences for those killed. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati promised Geagea that he would personally oversee the investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Another tragic incident has shaken Lebanon this weekend after reports emerged about the death of a six-year-old girl last week after being sexually assaulted by her grandfather.
Local media said Lynn Talib had been staying at her maternal grandparents’ home in the Minieh region in northern Lebanon following her parents' divorce. Last week, Talib’s temperature began to rise and her mother took her to the hospital. But she returned home with her against doctors’ orders for the little girl’s immediate admission. Talib later died at home.
Forensic reports confirmed that the six-year-old was repeatedly raped before her death. She also had bruises on her face and her lips were swollen.
Talib’s father filed a lawsuit against the mother’s parents. The Lebanese judiciary and Health Ministry launched their own investigation into the death. There have been no reports of arrests so far.
The shocking death drew outrage among the Lebanese. Many demanded that the perpetrator be executed. Meanwhile, activists against gender-based and domestic violence have renewed their demands that rapists and abusers be prosecuted.
