Conflict Incident Report

The mayor of south Lebanon’s Kfar Roummane claims he was dragged from the municipality building and threatened with death if he returned to the village.

Three assailants, still at large, reportedly stormed the municipality building and told the mayor he was no longer welcome in the area, after he discontinued their volunteer work at the municipality. Mayor Yasser Ali Ahmed told The Daily Star he suspected former mayor Kamil Ghobris had been behind multiple attempts to provoke him and force his resignation. “He will be going to jail soon, hopefully,” the current mayor said of Ghobris.

When contacted by The Daily Star, Ghobris said the mayor was not beaten, but the men did take him out of the municipality and took him to a car, asking him not to return.

Ali Ahmed said the identification of the three men was known and a lawsuit had been filed against them.

“They are in hiding, but they will be found soon,” the mayor said, speculating that the incident may have been in response to the arrest of the three men’s mothers last week after the women blocked the municipality to protest their sons’ dismissal.