On 10 November 1990, the militias began evacuating their positions in the Beirut agglomeration. Amal engages the movement, which opens up the reunification of Greater Beirut under the authority of the Lebanese government. After fifteen years of war, the capital entered a new phase. The departure of combatants from their areas should allow the army to take over.
This date marks a beginning. Reunification did not end in one day and the withdrawal from Beirut did not yet mean the general disarmament of the militias. The operation continues for the following weeks. It also takes place in a balance of forces dominated by Syria, whose troops remain in Lebanon.
Amal begins withdrawal on November 10
The first movements concerned Amal in the periphery of West Beirut. On November 10, men from the movement left their positions with their weapons. These departures therefore do not correspond to a general surrender of weapons to the State. The plan begins by changing the military control of the capital.
The contemporary press describes a withdrawal that began on the weekend of November 10 and 11. Amal is the first militia to evacuate its Beyruthine positions before the Lebanese Forces. The government then announces a process that must cover the capital and its region. The formations concerned must abandon their military presence in this area.
So not all areas of the city change hands at the same time. The withdrawal of the Lebanese Forces from East Beirut is another step on 19 November. The Lebanese army is gradually regaining control of Greater Beirut and the roads. The passages between the former Milician areas reopen as this deployment unfolds.
The reunification of Greater Beirut after the fall of Aoun
The military context changed less than a month earlier. On 13 October 1990, the Syrian offensive ended the power of General Michel Aoun in Baabda. He found refuge at the French embassy. The confrontation between his government and the recognized power of President Elias Hraoui thus came to an end by force.
On 24 October, the Selim Hoss government announced the evacuation of militias from Greater Beirut. It intends to restore state authority in a war-fragmented agglomeration. The announcement therefore precedes by more than two weeks departures that begin on November 10.
Another lock concerns competing Shiite organizations. The 5 November ceasefire between Amal and Hezbollah, under Syrian auspices, is preparing for their evacuation from the capital. The fighters of the Progressive Socialist Party are also affected by the withdrawal. The sequence thus combines agreements between factions, Syrian military pressure and the return of government forces.
An army to reunite to take over the city
The deployment takes place during the reconstruction of the Lebanese army, itself divided during the war. In October 1990 the institution established a stage of its reunification. Command merges units and changes their deployment areas. It seeks to reduce the regional and denominational affiliations that had accompanied the country’s break-up.
The resumption of Milanian positions therefore requires more than a change of flag on buildings. It involves units under common command. The army also reorganizes the training, assignments and maintenance of its equipment. Its reconstruction accompanies the return of institutions to the territories controlled by the armed formations.
However, this return remains linked to the Syrian presence. Damascus weighs on the political decisions and military conditions of the withdrawal. The restoration of a single Lebanese authority in Beirut does not put an end to this guardianship. The administrative and military reunification of the capital is advancing in this context.
Withdrawal from the capital and disarmament: two steps
The Taif Agreement of 22 October 1989 provides for the dissolution of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and the handing over of their weapons to the State. It also provides for the unification of the armed forces. The withdrawal undertaken in Beirut is part of this programme, but does not fulfil all the provisions.
The disarmament calendar extends into 1991. On 28 March, the government fixed 30 April as the deadline for the deposit of arms. Implementation remains incomplete: Hezbollah retains its armed organization, while other groups also escape full disarmament. It would therefore be incorrect to present 10 November 1990 as the disappearance of all Lebanese militias.
In Beirut, the next stage is measured in the areas taken over by the army. On 3 December 1990, his units deployed to Ashrafieh, the former bastion of Christian militias. Greater Beirut is then officially reunited at the end of the process started on 10 November.
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